Learning to Breathe
by TammyDevil666
Summary: William is married to a woman named Elizabeth and expecting his first child, but there were complications and he has to raise the baby on his own. He puts out an ad for a nanny and when Buffy shows up to apply for the job, he gets the shock of his life.
1. Chapter 1

Well, I'm finally getting around to putting this story in. I've been working hard on this one for a while now and I have to say that I'm very proud of how it's coming out. I wanted to thank Jen and Devin for their encouragement and quick read through of the story. They both managed to make me feel a lot better about posting. I think this might be my best work yet, but I'm still a little nervous about it. As of right now, this is my last story and I don't know if I would be writing anymore after it, so I'm hoping it's a good one. Everything in Italics will be flashbacks. I have a few of them. I'm hoping things will make a bit more sense after this chapter. There will be much Spuffiness in this; it just has to work up to it. This idea might have been done before, but I like to think that I do things a bit differently. Any comments would be very much appreciated. I really want to know what you guys think of it. Thanks ever so!

**Chapter 1**

"_That's it, baby. Just a little more, you're almost there," he said soothingly._

_She took a deep breath. "I can't, William. It hurts so much."_

_He gave her hand a squeeze and kissed her damp forehead. "You can do it, love."_

"_He's right, Elizabeth. All we need is one more push. Do you think you can handle that?"_

_She nodded at the doctor's words and pushed with everything that she had, feeling beyond exhausted once she was finished._

_The doctor took the baby to be cleaned off._

_William smiled at his wife. "You did it, sweetheart. You brought our child into this world."_

_Elizabeth gave a small smile of her own, but felt all of the energy leave her body. "I'm so tired, Will," she whispered._

_The machines beeped in the background._

_The doctor moved back to her side and noticed the extra amount of blood loss. "She's losing too much blood," he said in a frantic and got right to work._

_William moved away in shock at what was happening. He glanced at his wife to see that her eyes were starting to close. "What's wrong with her?"_

"_We're losing her."_

_William stepped closer when Elizabeth looked up at him. _

"_I love you, William."_

_He had tears falling down his face now, but they weren't happy like a moment ago. "I love you, too. You have to be okay. We have a beautiful, little girl now. She needs her mother."_

_Elizabeth grasped his hand in hers. "Take care of her for me. Promise that she'll know how much I love her."_

_William nodded and brought her hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles. He gazed at her face just in time to see her take her last breath. "No, Elizabeth!" he yelled. "Baby, come back. Please, come back. You can't leave me." _

_The doctor called the time of death and placed a comforting hand on William's shoulder. "I'm sorry for your loss. We did all that we could."_

_He hardly even heard what the doctor said, just stared at his wife lying there. The sound of a baby crying seemed to snap him out of it and he gazed at his child, not knowing what he was going to do now._

* * *

William Pratt woke with a start, sweat dripping down his face. He glanced around at his surroundings and saw that he was still in his room. The same dream haunted him every night. It pained him more knowing that it wasn't just a dream, but a memory of a time that felt so long ago. He took a deep breath and got out of bed. It was only six months ago that it happened. He lost his wife and gained a daughter in the same day. He just wished it didn't have to be one or the other. Elizabeth should be with him right now. He was nothing without her. That was also the day that William died, and Spike was born.

* * *

"What do you mean you're quitting?" he asked in an outrage. 

The woman was startled and took a step back. "I'm very sorry, Mr. Pratt. You knew this was only temporary."

Spike sighed. "Right, but what if I paid you more?"

She shook her head. "It's not just about the money, sir. I need to be closer to my family. I miss them dearly."

He rolled his eyes. "Well, what am I supposed to do now? You've been my nanny for the last five months."

She took a calming breath. "I suppose you could always find someone else. I'm sure there are others around here looking for work, but you could also spend some time with the child yourself."

Spike glared at her. "Just what are you implying? That I'm neglecting my own daughter?"

She knew that probably wasn't the right thing to say, but couldn't take it back now. "You...You hired me to take care of her. I've hardly seen you in the nursery since I've been here. I'm very sorry about your wife, but the child shouldn't be punished for that," she explained, knowing she went too far when she saw the hard expression on his face.

"You can leave now, Ms. Simpson. We're done here," he claimed and walked away, not bothering to wait for a response.

"May God help you," she whispered in the empty kitchen, then gathered her belongings and left the house.

* * *

Spike headed upstairs to Emma's room. He took a deep breath and gazed at the sleeping child in her crib. He caressed her cheek, being careful not to wake her. He didn't understand what that woman was talking about, but knew that he had to find another nanny. Hopefully one that didn't think she had a right to tell him how to raise his daughter.

* * *

"Oh my god, Buffy! It's so great to see you!" 

The blonde woman stumbled back when she was attacked in a hug by a very excited red head. "Same here, Willow."

"I can't believe you finally decided to move back. This town just hasn't been the same without you."

Buffy nodded and pulled out of the embrace. "I'm glad someone missed me."

Willow shook her head. "I'm not the only one. Have you seen your parents yet?"

"A world of no, I wouldn't even know what to say. I think I just need time before I go over there. After everything that happened, it's just hard to face them right now."

Willow nodded in understanding. "Well, you know that you can stay with me for as long as you need."

Buffy smiled in gratitude and followed Willow into her apartment, happy to be around her best friend again.

* * *

"I need to find a job. I have to at least pay you rent or something." 

Willow shook her head. "You don't have to worry about that, Buffy."

"I need to, Will. I have to feel that I'm doing something useful," she said, taking a sip from her coffee.

Willow nodded and knew there was no point arguing about it. "What are you usually good at?"

Buffy grabbed the paper and browsed through the want ads. "Not much, but there has to be something in here that I'm qualified for." She looked for a little while longer and was about to give up, until an ad caught her eye. "Hey, there's something in here about a nanny. I figure that's the same as babysitting, right? I did enough of that in the past; I could probably handle it now."

Willow agreed. "It sounds good. Why don't you go over there today?"

Buffy smiled and was glad that she had a plan.

* * *

Spike rolled his eyes for the millionth time. He interviewed about ten nannies and none seemed to have what he was looking for. He would be afraid to leave his little girl in any of their care. He sighed when he heard another knock on the door and went to answer it, knowing that it would probably be another nightmare. He got the shock of his life when he opened the door. The woman was blonde, petite, and he would know that face anywhere. 

"Elizabeth?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Buffy was taken aback by what the gorgeous man said. "Excuse me? My name's Buffy, I'm here to apply for the nanny position. Has it already been filled?"

Spike was still in shock at the woman that stood before him. She looked exactly like his Elizabeth, but he knew that just wasn't possible. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. "No, it hasn't. I'm sorry, please come in."

She nodded and entered the house.

He shut the door and led her over to the living room, where they both sat down.

They were silent, until Spike decided to break the ice.

"I'm sorry again; you just look so much like someone I knew."

Buffy graced him with a soft smile. "That's okay; I probably just have one of those faces."

Spike didn't really believe that, but he said nothing else about it. "I'm William Pratt, but I prefer to be called Spike now. It's my daughter that you would be caring for. She's almost seven months. Is the age a problem for you?"

Buffy shook her head. "No, I love babies. Not that I think I could handle having any of my own right now, but I'm usually good around someone else's kid. I also tend to babble when I'm nervous, so I'll just be shutting up now and let you continue asking the questions."

He smiled at her. She seemed so much like Elizabeth, and yet completely different. "That's all right, love. Do you have a lot of experience taking care of children?"

"Does babysitting when I was a teenager count? I know I'm a little out of practice, but I'm a pretty fast learner. I've been away in Boston for a while. I just decided to move back here to my hometown and I really need a job. Not that I'm trying to guilt you into hiring me or anything. Okay, that would be me babbling again." She looked away, a blush tinting her cheeks.

Spike had to admit that the girl was charming. The blush alone was bloody adorable, but he wouldn't allow himself to think such thoughts. "How old are you, pet?" he wondered instead.

"I'm twenty-six, it didn't say in the ad if you were looking for any specific age."

Spike shook his head. "No, the age is fine. I'm sorry; I didn't get your last name."

Buffy felt embarrassed again, realizing that he would probably need more than just a first name. "It's Buffy Summers; I probably should have said that at the door. I guess I was just surprised and didn't think of it." Her voice trailed off when she noticed the look on his face. It was as if he saw a ghost. "Are you okay?"

"Did you say Summers?"

She nodded and wondered why that would cause him to look even paler than he already was.

"Bloody hell, it can't be."

Buffy realized that she lost him again and snapped her fingers to get his attention. "Is there something I should know about?"

Spike tried to calm his emotions when he asked the next part. "Did you know Elizabeth Summers?"

She was once again shocked to hear that name. "Okay, you've managed to confuse me twice in one day. How did you know Elizabeth?"

He took a deep breath. "She was my wife. You look so much like her."

Buffy's jaw almost dropped at that revelation. He was her husband? Elizabeth was married? Apparently, there was a lot that she missed out on. "Well, there's a reason for that. I was her twin sister."

Spike felt like all the breath was knocked out of him. His wife had a twin sister? He knew of a sister that she had a falling out with for reasons that are unknown to him, but he had no idea about them being twins.

Buffy took his silence as her cue and stood up. "I'm sensing this whole thing is pretty weird for you. It's kind of weird for me, too. So, I don't think it would be right for me to take the job. I'll just see myself out." She was about to head to the front door, but he suddenly got up and placed a hand on her arm to stop her.

"I don't want you to leave, Buffy. I want you to take the job."

She was clearly not expecting that and shook her head. "I don't know if I can, Mr. Pratt. I wouldn't feel right about it."

Spike didn't know why he didn't just let her go. She wasn't Elizabeth and just seeing a reminder of his wife every day would surely be painful, but he couldn't seem to let her walk away. "Please, at least consider it. You're Emma's aunt; it might help if she had more family around."

Buffy smiled. "I have a niece?" she wondered, just realizing that fact.

He had to smile in return. "Would you like to see her?"

Buffy didn't hesitate before nodding. She then followed Spike upstairs and into the nursery.

Spike picked up the child, who was now sitting up in her crib. He held her up for Buffy to see. "This is Emma, your niece."

Buffy felt tears prick her eyes as she gazed at the baby. "She's so beautiful."

Spike agreed. "She looks so much like her mother. Would you like to hold her?"

She nodded again after a few seconds.

He handed the baby over to her.

Buffy took Emma from him and gently rocked her back and forth, relieved to see that she was starting to fall back to sleep. It meant that the baby was already comfortable with her. "I had no idea," she spoke after a moment of silence. "I didn't know that Lizzie was pregnant, or even married. God, I've missed so much. My mom just left me a cryptic message telling me that she passed away. I didn't even know how. I couldn't even bother to find out at the time, or go to the funeral. I should have come back here sooner, but I was too stubborn. I was too wrapped in my so-called perfect life in Boston, which was so far from perfect. I guess I just wanted to pretend."

Spike took the baby back from her when he noticed her eyes start to close. He placed her back into the crib. "You couldn't have known what was going to happen. Elizabeth was fine until the labor. No one saw this coming, especially not me."

She glanced up at him and realized what he lost. "I'm so sorry."

Spike shrugged and didn't know what to say to that, so he decided to change the subject. "Will you consider taking the job now? I think it could be good for both of us."

Buffy thought about it and wondered what Elizabeth would do, but she likely wouldn't be in this situation if her sister was still around. She let out a sigh and looked at the somewhat pleading expression on his face. It was obvious what her answer would be. "All right, you have yourself a new nanny."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Wow, and you had no idea?"

Buffy shook her head at Willow's question. "I had no idea that she was married, or that I would be applying for a job with her husband. I don't think things could possibly get any weirder."

Willow thought about it. "Do you think it's a good idea for you to work for him?"

Buffy shrugged. "I already said I would. Besides, I don't see any other options right now. This is probably the only job I would be able to get. It's also a live-in job, so I would have to move into his house."

Willow frowned. "Oh, you're leaving already?"

"I'm sorry, Will. It doesn't have to be so bad. His place is only about twenty minutes away. We'll still get to see each other every now and then, and this way I'll get to spend time with the niece that I knew nothing about. She's absolutely gorgeous, too. I always knew Liz was likely to be the first one to have a kid. Emma looks so much like her, but she has William's eyes," Buffy explained.

"Well, I'll miss having you around. I hope everything works out."

Buffy silently agreed, wondering if she was doing the right thing.

* * *

"And this is where you will be staying. I hope it's big enough for you."

Buffy was stunned when she entered the room. She looked around in amazement. "Big enough? This one room is probably bigger than my whole apartment in Boston."

Spike smiled. "I'll just let you unpack your things. You're probably hungry as well. The cook only works every other night, so I'll just make a couple of sandwiches."

She raised her eyebrows. "You have a cook?"

He nodded. "I mostly eat out or order in, but sometimes I'm in the mood for a home cooked meal. I'm afraid anything I make probably wouldn't be very edible."

Buffy laughed. "Right there with you. I'm probably the only person in this world that can burn water."

"I don't know about that, you may have some competition now," he told her.

She smiled and was caught in his gaze. He really did have very beautiful eyes, but she quickly looked away when it became too intense.

Spike also felt awkward and cleared his throat. "I'll just leave you to your things now." He then turned and left the room, without another glance.

Buffy sighed and plopped down on the bed, again wondering what she got herself into.

* * *

Spike stared at the photograph and traced the image with his finger. The picture was taken a few months after he started dating Elizabeth. They were smiling for the camera and looked so happy. She was the first and only woman that he ever loved. No one understood him the way she did. He didn't think anyone else ever could. He was ripped out of his thoughts by a knock on the door to his office. He placed the photo back into his drawer just as the door opened.

"Hey, I was wondering where you got off to. You've been in here for a while."

Spike looked up at Buffy. He had to keep in mind that she wasn't Elizabeth, no matter how alike they seemed. "I was just finishing up a few things. Did you need something?"

"I was thinking about taking Emma out for a while, maybe to the park or something. I was wondering if you wanted to join us."

He shook his head. "You two can go. I have a lot more work to do."

Buffy was concerned when he looked away and started messing with some papers on his desk. "Are you sure? It would only be for a few hours. I'm sure Emma would want you to come."

Spike sighed and remained focused on what he was doing. "She's a baby, Buffy. She won't know if I'm there or not." He finally looked at her and stood up, grabbing his coat off of the rack. "Now, if you'll excuse me. I have somewhere that I need to be." He walked out of the room, leaving her to stare after him in confusion.

Buffy didn't know what his deal was. It seemed like he didn't want to spend anytime with his daughter. She shrugged that thought away and figured it couldn't be right. She probably just caught him at a bad time. That's what she tried to convince herself, anyway.

* * *

Buffy was playing with Emma in the nursery once they returned from the park. She read the child a story and bounced her on her knee, which caused the little girl to giggle a few times. She stopped when she heard a noise come from downstairs, then got up and placed Emma into her crib.

"I'll be right back, sweetie," she said, then made her way out of the room and down the stairs. She noticed a light on in Spike's office and figured that he was back. She knocked on the door and got no response, so she pushed it open and wasn't prepared for the sight in front of her. Spike was passed out in his chair and he was a bit disheveled. She moved closer and could smell the scent of booze that was coming off of him. "Are you drunk?"

Spike glanced up and laughed when he saw her. "Buffy, I was just thinking about you. Did I tell you how bloody sexy you look today?"

She raised her eyebrows. Yeah, he was definitely drunk. "Are you okay?"

He laughed again. "Oh, I'm just peachy. I couldn't be any better. How about you?"

Buffy ignored his last question. "Is this why you wouldn't come out with us today? You were getting drunk at some bar?"

He shrugged. "I just had a few drinks, nothing to get your knickers in a twist about. It could probably loosen you up a bit. You seem a little uptight."

"I'm uptight? Excuse me for thinking that taking care of your daughter was the most important thing to be doing. I know you hired me for that, but I didn't think that you would just ignore her. I've been here for over a week now and you've done nothing to acknowledge that she even exists. You make it seem like you don't even care about her."

Anger formed on his features as he stood up, suddenly feeling sober. "You don't know anything. She's my flesh and blood; of course I care about her. I just have other things to deal with. I have to make a living to keep providing for her. Do I need to remind you that I'm only paying you to watch Emma? I'm not paying you for any of your lectures."

Buffy crossed her arms over her chest. "If I don't say something, then no one will. How is getting wasted supposed to provide for her? I know you're better than that. What would Elizabeth think if she saw you like this?"

That did it and Spike got in her face. "You don't get to talk about her. She was my wife. I probably even knew her better than you did. You haven't been in contact with her for the last eight years. She told me about how upset she was when you left, not giving a damn about how it would make her feel. You don't know anything about her."

Buffy took a step back and realized that he was right. She should have called her sister in all that time, but she never did. She never got a chance to make things right with her. Now, she would never have that chance, but she could at least make things right with the man that Elizabeth loved. "I know I wasn't there for her. I should have been, but I'm trying to make up for it now by being here for her daughter, and you. I don't know much about your relationship, but I know Elizabeth doesn't fall in love easily. That's something we always had in common. If she gave you a chance, then you must be pretty special. I know that she would hate to see you like this. Drinking your sorrows away and not even paying attention to Emma? She wouldn't want that."

Spike clenched his fists at his side and turned away from her, heading back to his desk. "It's getting late; you should head up to bed now."

Buffy just shook her head, knowing that it would probably be hopeless to get through to him right now. She glanced at him one more time. "My sister picked a real winner," she stated sarcastically, then walked out of the door.

Spike sighed and turned around to see that she was gone. He sat at his desk and ran his fingers through his hair. He knew that she was right, but it was hard for him to admit that. It was hard for him to do anything without Elizabeth around. He knew that it wasn't fair to take out his anger on Buffy. She was only trying to help. He did love his daughter very much. It was just hard to be around her and not think about his wife, knowing what was sacrificed to bring her into the world. Not that he would ever regret the birth of his child. He only regretted the fact that Elizabeth wasn't around to raise her with him. He just prayed that he was strong enough to change his actions. He worried that if he didn't, Buffy might decide that he wasn't worth it and quit. For some reason, he couldn't bear the thought of her leaving.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"_I can't believe how selfish you are."_

_Buffy turned a glare on her sister. "How is wanting to get out on my own selfish? Admit it, Liz. You want to get out just as much as I do, you're just too scared. I feel like a prisoner here. Mom and Dad are always breathing down my neck and I'm sick of it. I'm finally eighteen now, I no longer have to follow their rules. You can just continue being the perfect daughter and not worry about me getting in your way."_

_Elizabeth was stunned. "Is that really how you feel? I'm not perfect, Buffy. I'm just a hard worker. I care about getting a good education, and hopefully a job one day. It's something that you should care about, too. Running away to be with some man that you hardly know isn't the answer. What happened to you not believing in love?"_

_Buffy rolled her eyes. "Things change, it's better than being stuck in this house any longer. Riley is moving to Boston and he wants me to go with him. We may have only been seeing each other for a couple of months, but he understands me better than any of you. He's supportive and lets me make my own decisions. I'm tired of living in your shadow. It will always be about you, Lizzie. For once, I want something to be about me. I want someone to care for me as I am, not because I'm your sister. You've always gotten everything. It's my turn to have something. I care about Riley and we're going to be happy together in Boston. You can have fun being perfect for Mom and Dad. I know it's what you're good at," she finished, then made her way out of the house._

_Elizabeth stared after her twin in shock, wondering when everything got so messed up between them._

* * *

  
Buffy broke out of her thoughts when there was a knock on her bedroom door. She got up to answer it and was surprised to see Spike standing there, with a smile on his face.

"Hey, what are your plans today?"

She raised her eyebrows. "I didn't really have any."

"Well, now you do. I'm taking you and Emma to the carnival that just opened up this weekend. Are you interested?" he wondered.

"Okay, who are you and what have you done with Spike?"

He rolled his eyes. "I'm being serious here, Buffy. I thought a lot about what you said and I realized you're right. I've been so distant since I lost Elizabeth that I was shutting out my own daughter. What kind of father does that make me? I want her to grow up knowing who I am. I want her to always know that I love her, so I'm taking her out. I think it might be fun for her. What do you say?"

Buffy could see that he was sincere and had no idea that what she said would have made such an impact on him. She only nodded after a few seconds. "Yeah, that sounds good."

Spike smiled again and rubbed his hands together. "Excellent, we can leave in about a half an hour. You can even invite your friend along if you like. Wilma, was it?"

She laughed. "It's Willow, but that was pretty close."

He nodded. "Right, that's what I meant."

Buffy watched as he walked away, looking happy for the first time since she got there. Maybe they were making some progress, after all.

* * *

"How can you eat that?"

Buffy glanced down at the cotton candy in her hand, then back up at Spike. "Sugary goodness? Let me guess, Liz was always about eating right."

He shrugged. "She wanted to keep healthy. I wasn't even allowed to eat a burger, but I didn't mind it. I like that she worried about me."

Buffy agreed. "Well, that's the kind of person she was. I think she did a good job keeping you off of the junk food, though. You have a really great body." Her eyes widened. "I really just said that out loud, didn't I?"

Spike smiled. "I can pretend I didn't hear it if that would help."

Buffy sighed in relief. "Thanks ever so." She distracted herself by looking behind them to see Willow pushing the stroller. Her friend took one look at Emma and now couldn't be apart from her. She already won her a stuffed animal by playing one of the games. It was official; Willow had a weakness for babies.

Spike pointed to something in the distance. "How about we go on the ferris wheel?"

Buffy did not love that idea.

Willow finally caught up with them to hear Spike's question. "You two can go on that, while I watch Emma."

Buffy paled at that suggestion and gave her friend a worried look.

Willow noticed and suddenly remembered something. "Oh, right, I forgot about your fear of heights."

She felt like putting a bag over her head when she caught the amusement in Spike's eyes.

"You're scared of heights?" he wondered.

Buffy shook her head. "No, I'm not scared of heights. I was when I was younger, but I'm so over it now. Let's go," she said, grabbing his hand and pulling him over to the ferris wheel. She took a deep breath as they waited in line, then let it out when they finally got on the ride.

Spike placed his hand over her shaking one to give her some comfort. "Just keep taking deep breaths, love. It's not so bad. We used to go on the ferris wheel constantly last year. Elizabeth always loved it."

Buffy turned to look at him. "Of course she did. Nothing ever bothered her, especially not a fear of heights. She was always perfect with everything." She felt guilty at the look that was now on his face. "I'm sorry, that wasn't fair. I guess even after all this time, I'm still jealous of her."

Spike laughed to try and hide the hurt that he was feeling. "You were jealous of her? She told me that she was always jealous of you."

Buffy was clearly not expecting that. "You must have heard her wrong."

He shook his head. "Elizabeth told me that she always envied you. She wished that she could have had the guts to run away like you did. She figured you were out there having the time of your life."

Buffy looked down and was lost in thought. She didn't even notice when the ferris wheel came to life. "It wasn't anything that great. I made a lot of mistakes, one being the idiot I decided to run away with. I thought that he was amazing, everything that I was looking for. I couldn't have been more wrong. He became a total jerk that got it in his head that he could control me, which was what I was trying to get away from in the first place. He was a completely different person, but I knew that I couldn't go back. I couldn't go back to face my family and see their disappointment. So, I tried to make a life for myself when I finally got away from Riley, but nothing was good enough. After I was let go from my last job, I decided that it was about time I moved back. I had nothing in Boston anymore. I don't think I ever really did. The one regret that I have above everything else is not getting a chance to make things right with Lizzie. The last memory I have of her is the argument we got into. I just wish that I could go back and do it all over again."

Spike nodded. "Believe me, there's a lot that I wish I could do over, but we can't. We can't keep living in the past, Buffy. There's nothing that can change the mistakes we made. We just have to live in the now and make the future a good one. Emma needs both of us. I know that Elizabeth wanted you to be a part of her life."

Buffy wiped her eyes and didn't even realize that she was crying. She then rested her head against his shoulder and let more tears fall.

Spike didn't know what to do. He just put his arm around her, knowing that they were finally able to reach an understanding.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Buffy took a deep breath before knocking on the door. She hoped this wasn't a mistake, but there was no going back now.

The door swung open to reveal an attractive, older woman, the shock clearly written all over her face.

Buffy only smiled. "Hey, Mom," she said, not knowing what else to do.

The woman continued to silently stare at her.

"Joyce, who's at the door?"

She then seemed to break out of her trance. "It's your daughter, Hank."

He joined her in the doorway, also stunned to see Buffy standing there.

"Hi, Daddy. You haven't aged a bit." She figured complimenting him might make things a bit easier.

Hank smiled and gave her a hug. "It's good to see you, princess."

Buffy teared up at the name he used to call her when she was little. She pulled out of the embrace after a moment. "It's good to see you, too. Both of you," she claimed, looking at her mother. "Do you think I could come in?"

Hank nodded and moved out of the way. "Of course, we want to hear all about what you've been up to. Don't we, Joyce?" he asked his wife.

She didn't respond and just closed the door once Buffy was inside.

They all made their way into the living room and sat down.

Buffy was playing with the hem of her skirt to keep herself busy.

Hank decided to break the silence. "So, how has Boston been treating you? We didn't know you were in town."

"Boston was great for a while, but I eventually just got bored of it. I decided to move back here. I've been in town for about a month now, trying to keep a low profile."

Joyce scoffed. "Of course, why would you care to let us know that you were in town? I'm surprised you managed to stop by at all."

Buffy knew her mother would be the hardest to deal with, but she hoped that a lot would have changed in the last eight years.

"That doesn't matter, Joyce. The only thing that matters is that she's home now."

Buffy gave her father a grateful smile, but Joyce wasn't finished.

"Right, and where was she when her sister needed her the most? She couldn't even care to show up to the funeral."

Buffy really wished that her mother wouldn't talk as if she wasn't in the room. "I wanted to go to the funeral, Mom. I wanted to be there for both of you, but I didn't know how. I was just scared, okay? I figured you didn't want to see me. It would have been too hard for me to be there, knowing that Elizabeth was gone. I couldn't handle it, but I know that's no excuse. I'm sorry that I wasn't there. I don't know what else to say."

Hank decided to change the subject before Joyce could answer negatively to that. "Well, what are your plans now that you decided to move back? Have you found work yet? I could get you a job with my company."

Buffy shook her head. "That sounds great, but I'm already covered. I'm actually working for William now. You could imagine my surprise when I found out my sister was married and had a kid. I guess that's just something neither of you cared to share with me the few times we talked on the phone."

"It didn't seem like you wanted to know what was going on in her life. You never called to talk with us and whenever we decided to call, you would make up some excuse of why you couldn't talk. Your new life away from your family seemed to be the most important thing to you."

Buffy glared at her mother, knowing that she probably wouldn't be able to control her anger for much longer. "You know that's something I would have wanted to know about. Why didn't Elizabeth tell me? Never mind, I can guess why she didn't. Well, I'm staying at William's house now and helping him care for his daughter," she said with a smile, pleased at the look of shock on her mother's face.

Hank cleared his throat. "Yes, well, how is William doing? We sort of lost touch with him after the funeral. He's been keeping to himself these days. We've been around to see Emma every now and then, but he hardly says anything to us. How is she?"

Buffy nodded. "They're both doing fine. I'll tell William that you asked about him. I think he's doing a lot better than he was when we first met. I guess it just takes time." She then stood up. "I should be getting back now. If you guys care to talk to me again, you know where I'll be," she finished and headed out of the house, not bothering to wait for a response.

* * *

Buffy got back to the house and found Spike in his office. The door was open, so she just let herself in.

He was looking at a photograph of Elizabeth and seemed to be lost in thought, but glanced up when he noticed her. "How did it go?"

She shrugged. "Pretty much as good as I expected it to. They still hold a grudge for me leaving. My mom especially seems to still be on my case. I doubt things will ever get better between us."

"I'm sure it will, pet. Your mum loves you, she was just hurt."

Buffy sighed. "Yeah, but that doesn't make me feel any better. What picture is that?" she asked to change the subject.

Spike held it up for her to see. "This was our wedding photo."

Buffy smiled and took the picture from him, gazing down at the happy look on her sister's face.

"She was always the most beautiful woman in the world."

Buffy set the picture down on his desk. "Well, since we have the same face, I'll also take that as a compliment."

He smiled. "You're just as beautiful, Buffy, but in a different way. I can't really explain it."

She nodded. "It's okay, I think I understand. I wish I could have been at the wedding. I missed out on so much, but I won't make that mistake with Emma. She's all that I have left of Lizzie. I plan on always being there for her, you'll probably start to get sick of me."

Spike laughed. "I highly doubt that, love. You don't seem to realize the change you've made in me since you've been here. If you think I'm letting you go now, you're sadly mistaken."

Buffy's breath caught in her throat at the look he was giving her. She immediately backed away from his desk. "I think I'm going to check on Emma now," she said and hurried out of his office.

Spike watched her go and could tell that he made her nervous. She was so different from Elizabeth, but he was determined to find out all that he could about her.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"I'm going to Hell," Spike commented to his friend weeks later.

"You are not going to Hell," he responded.

Spike wasn't convinced. "I'm having improper thoughts about my wife's sister, Xander. How is that good?"

He thought about it. "Well, maybe this means that you're finally ready to move on. I can understand why you would be attracted to Buffy. She does look just like Elizabeth, after all."

Spike shook his head. "It's not just that. Besides the looks, they don't have anything in common. I like spending time with her. I can talk to her about anything, and she's the first woman that has really made me laugh since Elizabeth died. I sometimes forget that they were related at all. Does that make me horrible? Does this mean that I will forget about Liz? She was my first love, my first everything. She'll always have a place in my heart, but Buffy is like no woman that I have ever known. I just keep thinking about how easy it would have been to fall for her if I had the chance to meet her first. Not that I could ever regret the time that I had with my Elizabeth, but we were only together for two years. There was so much that we didn't know about each other. We rushed into everything, marriage, starting a family. I just wonder what would have happened if we took things slower. She might still be here and I might have never gotten the chance to know Buffy." He groaned and buried his face in his hands. "God, I'm so bloody confused."

Xander took a step toward Spike's desk. "Okay, I have a solution."

Spike lifted his head and waited for whatever his friend had to say.

"I think it's about time you started dating again."

He raised his eyebrows.

Xander decided to clarify. "I think you need to see what else is out there. There are a lot of beautiful women in this town just waiting for a guy like you. If you stay around Buffy all the time, you're just going to keep being confused. She has her own life, Spike. She's not cooped up inside all day like you are. She's probably out there dating herself for all you know. I think you should do the same. In fact, I have a friend that you might be interested in. Should I set something up?"

Spike was about to turn down his suggestion, when Buffy's laughter stopped him. He frowned and stood up, making his way out of the office and into the living room.

Xander let out a sigh and followed behind him.

Spike found the living room empty, then heard her voice by the front door. He also heard another voice that he didn't recognize, a male voice. He stopped suddenly at the sight of Buffy laughing with a tall, brunette man.

"Thanks for taking me home, Angel. I'll see you tomorrow."

He smiled and placed a kiss on her cheek. "Thanks for the company. Goodnight, Buffy," he said before walking away.

She closed the door and turned around, only to be met with the angry face of Spike.

"Who the bloody hell was that?"

Buffy was taken aback by his tone.

Xander cleared his throat. "Well, it's been great. I'll see you later, Spike." He then made his way out of the house.

Spike didn't seem to notice and kept his attention on Buffy. "Well, who was he? I have a daughter, one that you're supposed to be caring for. I don't think it would be such a good influence on her to have you bring men home at such a late hour."

Buffy was stunned. "It's only ten and it's not like he came inside. He was just dropping me off. What? You would rather me walk home by myself? You know how I am with driving. Angel's a nice guy that I met at the Bronze. We were just talking. Am I not allowed to have any friends now? You don't have a problem with Willow."

He glared at her. "Is he just a friend? It seemed like more to me if that kiss was anything to go by."

"It was only on the cheek. What's your problem, Spike? I do a damn good job here. I think I'm allowed to go out and have fun every once and a while."

Spike threw his hands up in the air. "Fine, do what you want. I don't bloody care," he claimed and stomped away, without even another glance at her.

Buffy just stared after him in shock, wondering what just happened.

* * *

Spike was furious when he got back to his office. He didn't know why he blew up at her, but he just didn't like the idea of her being so comfortable with another man. It looked like Xander was right about her dating. He would be damned to just sit around, while she was out having the time of her life. It was about time that he started to live again. With that thought in mind, he snatched the phone off of his desk and dialed a familiar number. He took a deep breath when Xander picked up on the other line. 

"Hey, mate. I think you were right about what you said earlier. I want you to set something up with that friend of yours. I think I'm ready to move on." He listened to Xander for a while longer, then hung up the phone when he got the information that he needed. It turned out that Xander had a feeling Spike would agree to the blind date and already called the woman. They would be going out over the weekend and Spike was a little nervous about it. He has not dated since Elizabeth passed away. He was too busy getting drunk and trying to numb the pain that her loss caused, but it was time to see what else was out there. Twenty-eight years old and he has only ever been with one woman. Sure, he dated a lot when he was younger, but Elizabeth was the first woman that he gave himself to completely. He would always treasure everything that they shared together.

Spike shook the thoughts away and decided that he needed to get some rest. He couldn't even care to head up to his room and just lay his head down on the desk. He instantly dozed off with flashes of a beautiful, golden girl. He knew for once that it wasn't Elizabeth in his dreams, but another golden goddess that was just as similar, and yet entirely different.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"Buffy!" Spike bellowed up the stairs.

She ran out of the nursery. "Do you have to yell? I just put Emma down for her nap."

He looked guilty before getting right to the point. "Sorry, but I'm in a hurry. I have a date and might not be back until late tonight, just thought you should know."

Buffy couldn't help the pang of jealousy that she felt, but quickly shrugged it off. "Oh, I thought you had some business thing tonight? I didn't know you were going out with anyone."

"It happened pretty recently. Xander set it up. He suggested that I should get out there and meet new people. You don't have a problem with this, do you?" he wondered.

"No, why would I have a problem with it? You're a free man. It's not like I'm your keeper or anything. My sister has been gone for almost a year; it's understandable that you would want to start dating again. It would just be best if you didn't bring any of the women back here. You know, like you didn't want me to. It wouldn't be a very good influence on Emma, after all."

Spike scowled at her, but it quickly turned into a smile. "Of course not, I'll just be going now. Don't wait up," he said, then turned and left the house.

Buffy shook her head and headed back into the nursery to watch over her niece. A part of her really hoped the date would be a disaster.

* * *

"He had the nerve to dump me because I wanted too much sex. Can you believe that? There is no such thing as too much sex. What kind of man would break up with someone over that? You like sex, don't you?"

Spike was confused by the entire conversation. His date, Anya Jenkins, was definitely not afraid to say anything. "Uh, yeah, sex is good. It has just been a while for me."

She nodded. "Yeah, Xander told me about your situation. Sorry about your wife, but you should never be deprived of orgasms. We could go back to my place after dinner. You look like you would be very good in the sack."

Spike made the mistake of taking a sip of his water when she said that and started to choke.

Anya looked concerned and got up to pat him on the back.

He waved his hand in the air to assure her that he was fine.

She smiled and sat back down.

Spike took a deep breath before he spoke again. "I'm very flattered, but I don't think that's such a good idea. That sort of thing should at least wait until the second date," he explained, already knowing that he didn't plan on having a second date with her. She was a nice enough woman, but a bit too much for him.

"Really? I was with a guy once that let me give him a blowjob after only knowing me for an hour."

Spike rubbed his eyes and decided to change the subject. "So, how do you know Xander?"

She beamed at the mention of Xander. "Oh, I'm a phone sex operator. Xander is one of my regular callers. Technically it was against the rules for us to meet, but I just couldn't resist. He decided that he wanted to be friends. I've never known a guy that just wanted to be friends with me, but I really like Xander. He has nice arms, and he's very pleasant to look at."

Spike raised his eyebrows. "I think you would be better suited for him, love. Maybe he doesn't know how much you like him. I could talk to him for you."

Anya flashed him an even bigger smile. "You would do that? Not that you're not a very good looking man, but I feel myself drawn to Xander. I just really want him to like me."

Spike gave her a genuine smile now. "I'll see what I can do."

* * *

"We need to talk."

Xander moved out of the way when Spike barged into his apartment. "Right, just come on in."

Spike went straight to the fridge to grab a beer.

"So, I take it the date didn't go too well."

He glared at Xander and took a long sip of the alcohol. "Did you really think it would work out? She's a man eater, Harris. She constantly goes on about orgasms. You had to have known that it was pointless to set me up with her. I haven't had sex for about nine months now."

Xander agreed. "That's why I set you up with her. I figured Anya would get you out of your shell. You need to get laid, man."

Spike rolled his eyes. "No, you need to get laid. I think Anya would be bloody perfect for you. I'm not looking for a one night stand, or whatever you expected to happen. You need to give the bird a call. I don't know why, but she has a thing for you."

He perked up at this. "She told you that?"

Spike nodded. "Anya doesn't understand why you would just want to be friends. I say give her a chance. She may end up surprising you."

Xander thought about it and realized that his friend might be right.

* * *

Spike entered his house quietly and made his way upstairs to check on his daughter. He panicked when he saw that she wasn't asleep in her crib and headed to Buffy's room. He knocked on the door and opened it when he didn't hear a response. He stopped suddenly at the gorgeous sight in front of him. Buffy was lying in bed with Emma cuddled up to her side, both of them were sleeping peacefully. He smiled and walked closer, the movement caused Buffy to open her eyes and look at him.

"She woke up and started to cry after you left. I brought her in here to sing her back to sleep, and I guess I fell asleep myself."

Spike nodded. "Thank you, I'll just take her back to the nursery. You stay and get some more rest." He gently picked Emma up and carried her out of the room, being careful not to wake her.

Buffy watched him go and then lay back down. She was lost in her thoughts when he came back into the room.

Spike looked nervous as he sat down on the edge of the bed.

She sat up and ran her fingers through her hair. "How was the date?"

Spike shook his head. "It was bloody horrible. I ended up getting her with Xander instead."

Buffy was surprised, but also relieved that it didn't really go very well. She didn't quite understand that.

"What about you and that Angel bloke? Are you going out with him?"

She sighed. "I told you we're just friends. He's married with two kids. I'm not a homewrecker."

Spike smiled and felt a surge of relief go through him. "That works out nicely, then."

Buffy wasn't sure what he meant by that, but didn't have much time to think about it when he suddenly pressed his lips to hers.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Buffy was drinking a cup of coffee when Spike came into the kitchen. She pretended that she was reading the paper, but was really avoiding his gaze after the kiss they shared the night before. He just left after it happened and told her to get some rest. She didn't even know if it meant anything to him, but wasn't about to be the first one to bring it up.

Spike let out a sigh and pushed the paper away from her face. "I know you're not interested in the sports section."

"I happen to find it very enlightening."

He rolled his eyes and sat across from her. "We need to talk."

Buffy raised her eyebrows. "Oh, now you want to talk? Well, maybe I'm not in a talking mood." She tried to get up, but Spike grabbed her arm and made her sit back down.

"I'm sorry about last night. I was confused and didn't know what I was doing."

Buffy felt hurt at his words, but tried not to let it show. "I think that's pretty obvious. Look, just forget about it. We'll just go on with our lives and pretend that it never happened. I'm sure that's what you want." This time she did get up and headed into the living room.

Spike groaned and went after her. "That's not what I want. I don't regret kissing you. I regret doing it the way that I did. You were caught off guard and I shouldn't have done that in your room. You're bloody confusing, you know that?"

"How am I confusing? I haven't done anything. You're the one that kissed me first, so don't make it seem like I did. If anyone's confusing, I would say it's you."

Spike was starting to lose his patience. "Dammit, Elizabeth! You always do this."

She gasped at his words and noticed his eyes widen.

"Bloody hell, I didn't mean that."

Buffy shook her head. "No, I think you did." She then made her way upstairs, Spike right behind her.

"I'm sorry, Buffy. I don't know why I said that," he explained.

She turned to look at him, with tears that she didn't even realize were in her eyes. "I'm not Elizabeth, Spike. I never will be, no matter how much you wish I was."

Spike watched as she entered her room and closed the door. He rested his head against the wall and took in a deep breath. He couldn't believe that he screwed up by calling her the wrong name. He didn't even know where that came from and supposed it was because he used to have a lot of meaningless fights with his wife, arguing with Buffy must have reminded him of it. He then walked back downstairs and headed to his office, desperately needing a drink.

* * *

"I don't think he meant anything by it, Buffy. He was just upset."

She wiped her eyes and really wished the tears would stop, but it was a losing battle. "He seemed pretty serious, Will. Is that why he kissed me? Because I reminded him of Elizabeth? I actually thought he was starting to like me. I thought he was really starting to see me, but it's still always her. I should have known. I'm not trying to replace Lizzie. I could never do that, but I can't help the way I feel either."

"You really like him, don't you?"

Buffy shrugged. "I wasn't planning on it. I just keep thinking about how different things would have been if he met me first. I know it's stupid, he's probably not really interested in me."

Willow shook her head. "I don't think that's true. You told me about how he reacted when he saw Angel. It sounded like he was jealous to me."

Buffy's eyes brightened. "Do you think so? I never really thought about it."

Willow nodded. "And I know you were jealous when he went out on that date. I just think you both need to talk about this. I don't have all of the answers."

Buffy agreed and gave her friend a hug. "Thanks, I feel a lot better. I should be getting back. He's bound to wonder where I am by now."

Willow nodded again and watched Buffy walk away. She really prayed that everything would work out.

* * *

Buffy entered the house and was confused when she heard voices. She headed straight for the living room and stopped when she noticed Spike in there with another woman. She tried to hide the hurt when he looked up at her.

"Hey, where have you been?" he wondered.

"Sorry, I was at Willow's. I didn't realize you had company. I'll just go now," she mumbled and was about to leave, but the woman's voice stopped her.

"You must be Buffy. It's great to finally meet you."

She was stunned and wasn't expecting that.

"I'm Tara, William's sister. I'm sorry to just drop in like this unannounced."

Buffy sighed in relief when she realized it was Spike's sister, a sister that she never knew anything about. "It's nice to meet you."

Spike stood up. "Tara's been away in London; this is the first time I've seen her in months."

Buffy nodded in understanding.

Spike went to hug his sister. "It was good seeing you again, love."

She returned his embrace. "I just had to make sure that you were okay. A phone call is never enough. I'll be in town for a while if you need anything."

Spike pulled away. "That's good to know. Dad could use the company."

"He really wants to see you. I'm not the only one that's worried about you, William."

Spike rolled his eyes. "Tell him to stop worrying, I'm doing fine. I'll see you later."

Tara nodded and glanced back at Buffy. "It was nice to meet you again. Good luck with him."

Buffy smiled. "Thanks, I'll need it." She turned back to Spike once Tara was gone. "How come I never knew you had a sister?"

He shrugged. "I guess it never came up. Tara has been my sister since she was six-years-old. My parents realized they couldn't have any more kids after me and always wanted another one, so they adopted her. I sometimes forget about that. She's always just been my little sister."

"Wow, that's pretty amazing. She seems really nice."

Spike agreed. "Yeah, she's the best, but enough about that. I think we really need to talk, Buffy."

She sighed and figured that it was about time they had a real conversation, hopefully she was ready for it.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"Are you hungry? There's probably something that even I can make."

Spike stopped her from heading off towards the kitchen. "No, I'm not hungry. We really need to talk. You can't just avoid it."

Buffy sighed and hated when he was right. "Fine, you go first."

He nodded and took a deep breath. "First of all, I wanted to apologize again for what happened earlier. I honestly never meant to call you that. The argument just reminded me of arguments with Elizabeth in the past, but I don't think you're her. I know who you are, Buffy. It was just a slip of the tongue. Believe me; I know how different you two are. Elizabeth was shy and skittish about a lot of things, but you have a fire about you that I've never seen before in anyone else. I can tell that you don't take crap from anyone and I envy that about you. It makes me want to get to know you better. I don't know what I'm feeling for you. It's hard to believe that I could feel for anyone other than my wife, but you make it so easy. I know that Liz would have wanted me to move on instead of being miserable all the time. Of course, I'm sure this isn't what she had in mind."

Buffy smiled. "Yeah, somehow I don't think Lizzie would take a liking to me getting so close to her husband." She laughed when a thought crossed her mind.

"Care to let me in on the joke?"

She shook her head and tried to calm herself. "Sorry, I was just thinking about the past. We never had the same taste in guys. Elizabeth hated anyone that I went out with. I felt the same way. God, she had such horrible taste."

Spike raised his eyebrows.

"Well, until she met you. I have to say, you're never who I would have expected her to marry. I guess I can't really judge her choices. I was with Riley, for crying out loud. He had to be the biggest mistake I ever made. I was just a stupid girl that thought she was in love. I gave up everything for him, including my family. I did a lot that I wasn't so proud of."

He agreed. "We all have things that we're not proud of, but what matters now is learning from our mistakes. We can't go back in time to fix everything, we just have to move on and make the best of it."

"So, where do we start?" she wondered.

Spike smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I think we should start right here," he whispered, then captured her lips in a passionate kiss.

* * *

She was on cloud nine a few days later. They agreed that it would be best to take things slow, but Buffy was finding it hard to do that. She could hardly go a day without wanting to touch him, but was satisfied knowing that Spike was dealing with the same dilemma. So far, they've only shared a couple of kisses that were capable of making Buffy weak in the knees. No man has ever had that effect on her before. She again realized just how lucky her sister was to have found him.

Buffy stopped once she reached the house. She suddenly felt guilty for her last thought. It wasn't right for her to be enjoying her time with Spike when Elizabeth wasn't around. She would never get to be with the man that she loved again; never get to raise her daughter. It was thoughts like that which made Buffy glad they were taking things slow.

"Sweetheart, it's so great to see you again."

Buffy squealed when she was embraced by a man that she didn't know. She immediately pushed away from him. "Who the hell are you?"

He looked confused. "It's Ben, how could you forget about me? Is this one of your jokes that I just don't get?"

Buffy stepped closer to the door of the house and further away from him. "I'm sorry, but I think you have the wrong person. I've never seen you before."

"Elizabeth, are you feeling okay?"

Her eyes widened at what he said. "You really have the wrong person. I'm not Elizabeth. I'm Buffy, her twin sister."

He looked embarrassed at that revelation. "Oh, sorry about that. I forgot that she had a twin. She never talked about you much."

"And again that brings me back to my earlier question. Who the hell are you? How did you know my sister? It looked like you were pretty close by that hug you just gave me. If that's the case, then how do you not know that she passed away?"

Ben was not expecting that. He felt his whole world collapse. "She's dead? How did it happen? I've been away for months on business. I couldn't keep in touch with her, but I promised that I would be back soon. I can't believe she's gone."

Buffy took a deep breath. "Yeah, it was a shock to all of us, but I'm still not sure how you knew her."

Spike chose that moment to open the door after he heard voices. He was not happy to see Buffy talking with another man that he didn't recognize. "What's going on out here?" he wondered and tried to keep the jealousy out of his voice, but failed miserably.

Buffy turned to look at him, knowing what he was thinking. "This is, Ben. He says that he knew Elizabeth. Do you two know each other?"

Spike shook his head and stepped outside, closing the door behind him. "No, we haven't had the pleasure of meeting. How exactly did you know my wife?"

Ben didn't know what to say to get out of this one, but figured it was about time the truth came out. "Elizabeth and I were very close before I had to move away. We were involved."

Buffy stopped Spike from doing any harm to the man, but couldn't believe what he just said.

"You expect for me to believe that my wife cheated on me? That's insane; we were very much in love. She would have never chosen a ponce like you over me."

Ben wasn't fazed, he had a feeling this would happen sooner or later. He just figured that Elizabeth would have been around when it did. "We were together for three months, but she always held back with me. She didn't want to hurt you. I had to leave town and told her that I would be back for her. I wasn't planning on taking this long and had no idea that so much would have changed."

Spike wanted to rip his head off, but the stricken look on Buffy's face stopped him.

She shook her head. "No, she couldn't have. Elizabeth would have never done something like that. She's not capable of cheating. I just can't believe any of this."

Ben scoffed. "Well, maybe you didn't know her as well as you thought. Then again, you were never around, were you?"

Before he could think about it, Spike pulled back his fist and punched Ben in the face.

He yelled in pain and held his eye that was now starting to bruise.

"You don't come here again, you got that?"

Ben took off after that and didn't even bother to look back.

Spike ushered Buffy into the house, the shock still evident on her face. "It's all right, love."

She seemed to snap out of it at the sound of his voice. "How can you say that? My sister cheated on you, Spike. I don't think that guy would have a reason to lie. God, how could she do that? You're so amazing and caring…"

Spike cut her off by smashing his lips to hers. He couldn't resist with the things that she was saying. He pulled away when breathing became an issue and rested his head against hers. "I can't say I really blame her all that much. Things were difficult in the beginning of our marriage. We would constantly argue all the time. I wasn't around as much as I should have been, but I never stopped loving her. I know that she loved me, too. Your sister was a good woman, Buffy. It's important that we always remember that."

Buffy nodded and looked up at him. "I just don't understand it."

Spike touched his lips to her forehead and held her tighter. "I know, love. I know."


	10. Chapter 10

There will be two flashbacks in this chapter. I really hope it won't be confusing for you guys. I also hope that you'll be able to figure out what I was trying to do, more will be explained in the next one. Thanks for the reviews!

**Chapter 10**

"_I'm going to marry a very wealthy man when I get older."_

_Buffy rolled her eyes. "I suppose you would want him to be Prince Charming, too."_

_Elizabeth sighed in annoyance. "Of course not, I know he doesn't really exist. I wanna find someone that would do anything for me. I hope to have a big family one day."_

"_Why are you thinking about all of this now? We're only fourteen; we have our whole lives to worry about that."_

_Elizabeth shook her head. "You don't know that, Buffy. We never know how short our lives might be. I'm hoping I'll live to at least be a hundred. I wanna experience everything before I go, to see the whole world. I want to know what it's like to really be in love. What about you?"_

_Buffy shrugged. "It doesn't matter to me. All I care about is getting out of here when I'm older. Unlike you, I live in reality. Real love doesn't exist. The world is harsh and cruel. You'll never know who to trust."_

_It was Elizabeth's turn to roll her eyes. "Why do you always think like that? You're going to be very alone and bitter in the future with that attitude. It's sometimes hard to believe that we're twins. We couldn't be anymore different."_

_Buffy thought about her sister's words and for once, had to agree with her._

* * *

"I had a feeling I would find you in here." 

Spike looked up when Buffy entered the nursery. "I just wanted to watch her sleep."

Buffy nodded and handed him a cup of hot chocolate. "I figured you might be thirsty. Be careful, it's kinda hot."

Spike smiled and took the cup from her. He blew into it and took a long sip of the hot liquid. It felt great going down his throat. He placed the cup on the little table that was next to him.

"Do you want anything else? I could find you something to eat, or I could go out and get you something."

He shook his head. "I'm fine, Buffy. You're not my servant, don't worry about it."

She wouldn't let it go. "I feel that I should do something for you. I can't help feeling guilty."

Spike sighed. "Why should you feel guilty? You're not the one that cheated on me. I'm really okay, Buffy."

"How can you be? You just found out that the woman you loved was having an affair. I still can't understand this. After all of Liz's talk about finding someone that would do anything for her, she goes and does this? It shouldn't have mattered if you guys fought all the time. Couples always argue, but you don't go out and find someone else because of it. My parents were always at each other's throats, but they're still together."

Spike silenced her by dragging her down onto his lap and kissing her senseless. He pulled away to notice the stunned expression on her face. "Did anyone ever tell you that you talk way too much?"

She blushed under his gaze. "I just don't understand why you're not more upset about this."

"Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm very upset. So much that I think I might cry at any moment, but I just choose not to show it."

Buffy shook her head. "You shouldn't have to hide how you feel, Spike. If you're upset, then you should let it out. I'll be right here if you need me."

Spike held her tighter. "That's good to know." He glanced at the crib, where his daughter was still sleeping peacefully. "I just had a very horrible thought. I never would have suggested it before, but now knowing that my wife was with another man…"

Buffy knew what he was going to say and pressed her finger against his lips. "Don't even think that, Spike. It's not possible. Emma's very much yours," she explained, removing her finger.

"How can you be so sure?" he whispered.

Buffy smiled. "She has your eyes. There's no one else in the world with eyes as blue as yours. She's perfect, just like her daddy."

Spike couldn't hold it in anymore. Buffy's words and everything that he found out earlier that day was just too much. He buried his face in her neck and finally let the tears fall.

Buffy soothingly ran her fingers through his hair as she held him. "It's okay, honey. I'm right here, just let it all out. I'm not going anywhere. I'll always be here for you."

* * *

"_You need to get over this, dude. You're starting to bring everyone down. We're in a bar with a lot of women. You could have a pick of anyone in here."_

_William glared at his friend and took another sip of his Bourbon. "I wouldn't expect for you to understand, Xander."_

"_I don't understand why you're doing this to yourself. Drusilla dumped you two months ago. I would say it's time to move on. How serious could it have been, anyway? You weren't even sleeping together."_

_William slammed his glass down. "Not everything is about that."_

_Xander looked away. "Well, apparently it was for her," he mumbled._

_William heard him and decided to ignore the comment. He just looked to the stage, where a band continued to play depressing love songs. He glanced around at all of the half-dressed women at the Bronze, Sunnydale's only real club. None of them really did it for him, until he noticed a petite blonde sitting in the distance with a red head that he couldn't see the face of. He felt his breath catch in his throat at the sight of the woman. She was absolutely gorgeous. Xander was still going on about something that William could care less about, so he stood up and took a risk by heading in the woman's direction. He was almost there, when he crashed into another female. Being the polite person that he was, he decided to help her clean up the drink that he accidentally caused her to spill. She left without a word and when he looked back up, the blonde woman was gone._

* * *

_  
William couldn't stop thinking about the woman all night. He kicked himself all the way home for not getting a chance to talk to her. His car was in the shop, so he had to walk to wherever he wanted to go. It was Sunnydale and luckily, mostly everything was in walking distance to where he lived. A little exercise never hurt anyone. His thoughts kept turning back to the woman and he wasn't paying attention to where he was going, until he collided with someone. He cursed himself for being so clumsy again, but stopped his train of thoughts when he noticed the beautiful blonde that he ran into. It was the same woman from the Bronze. He couldn't believe his luck and gave her a smile._

"_Sorry about that. I didn't mean to nearly knock you over."_

_She smiled in return, relieved that he didn't seem to be mad about her getting in his way. "It's okay; you shouldn't have to take all of the blame."_

_He held his hand out to her. "I'm William Pratt; it's nice to meet you."_

_She took his hand after a moment. "Elizabeth Summers, the pleasure's all mine." _


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Spike was broken out of his thoughts and pulled away from Buffy. He looked deep into her eyes when realization hit him.

"It was you," he claimed.

She raised her eyebrows in confusion. "What was me?"

"You were the woman at the Bronze a few years ago. I saw you sitting with a red head that must have been Willow. She was turned away from me then, so I couldn't make out her face."

Buffy was even more confused now. "I came back to town once for business. Willow was the only one that knew about it. I was frustrated with my job and she suggested that we go to the Bronze to blow off some steam. How did you know about that?"

Spike stood up and pulled Buffy with him. He didn't want to wake the baby and closed the door to the nursery. He grabbed Buffy's hand again and pulled her all the way to his room, letting her go once they were inside.

"Okay, what was that about?" she wondered.

He turned to look at her. "I was at the Bronze that night. I saw a woman that I wanted to talk to, but she left before I got the chance. I couldn't sleep all night because I was too busy thinking about that same woman. It was you, Buffy. I thought it was Elizabeth this whole time, but it was you."

Buffy gasped at what he said, then started to remember more of that night. "I think I saw you, too. I was talking with Willow and I looked over to the bar and saw a man with bleached hair, but I couldn't see his face. I don't know why I never thought about it when I first arrived here. I guess I just forgot a lot about the last time I was here. I also might have had too much to drink that night."

Spike laughed and wrapped his arms around her. "I can't believe it was you. Just think of what could have happened if I did manage to talk to you. I met Elizabeth the day after that. I just assumed she was the woman that I saw."

"Hardly, Lizzie hated the Bronze. She would have never been caught dead there. That's why I went there in the first place. I knew there was no chance I would have been spotted."

He pressed a kiss to her lips. "Oh, you were spotted. No woman has ever had an effect on me like that before, and all I did was take one look at you."

Buffy thought about it. "Yeah, it's just a shame that I left a day later. No regrets, right? Meeting Elizabeth brought a beautiful, little girl into your life. You might not have had that if you met me first. I didn't even know if I wanted kids then, or a real relationship. I didn't date much after everything with Riley."

Spike tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Do you believe in fate?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I never used to believe in it. I always figured the whole thing was stupid."

He touched his forehead to hers. "I think it's time that you started believing in it."

* * *

"Hey, pretty girl. Don't you look lovely today?" Buffy said as she picked the child up and twirled her around, delighted in the sound of her giggles.

It was Emma's first birthday and she was wearing a cute, pink dress.

Buffy just bought the dress for her a week ago as an early birthday present. "You are just the cutest baby ever. How old are you, sweetie? Do you know how old you are today?" She wasn't expecting an answer, but figured it was worth a try. Emma hasn't spoken a word yet and they were worried about it at first, but the doctor assured them that it was normal. That a lot of babies start speaking at all different ages. It was best for them to be patient and let it come naturally.

Spike smiled when he entered the nursery. "There's the birthday girl."

Buffy handed him the baby and watched as he gave her a big kiss on the cheek.

"There's my other girl," he said to Buffy and placed a kiss on her lips.

"We better get downstairs before Xander eats all of the food."

Spike laughed and then remembered the real reason for wanting to see Buffy. "Thought I should warn you, love. Your parents are here."

She was surprised to hear that. "They actually came?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I didn't think they would either, but Emma is their granddaughter."

"Okay, I can handle this. I knew it was bound to happen. I faced them before, I can do it again."

Spike smiled. "That's my girl."

Buffy took a deep breath and followed him down the stairs. She forced a smile on her face when she saw her parents in the living room.

Hank smiled as well when he noticed her. "How've you been, princess?" he wondered, giving her a hug.

Buffy returned the embrace. "I've been good, Daddy. I'm glad you both could make it." She glanced at her mother, who seemed to be avoiding her gaze.

"We wouldn't have missed it. Emma has gotten so big."

Buffy agreed and was just glad that talking to her father wasn't so awkward. Her mother would be another story.

* * *

Everyone left a few hours later.

Hank gave his daughter another hug. "It was great to see you again, sweetheart. I can tell you're doing well here."

Buffy nodded when he pulled away. "I really love it here. You guys can feel free to stop by whenever you want. I know Emma would love to see you."

"We would love to see more of her, and you. Don't be a stranger, okay?"

Buffy didn't know what to say to that, when her mother finally made her presence known at the doorway.

"Hank, we need to go. You have an early day tomorrow."

He nodded and after placing a kiss on Buffy's cheek, walked out of the house.

Joyce stared at her daughter once he was gone. She then moved closer and gave her a hug.

Buffy was shocked, but found herself returning the gesture.

Joyce pulled away and smiled. "You're so grown up. I don't know why it took me this long to realize it. I see what you're doing here, Buffy. Not only are you helping with Emma, but you're also helping with William. I'm very proud of you."

Buffy felt tears in her eyes. She never would have expected to hear that from her mother. "Thank you, that means a lot. I want to make things right with us, Mom. I hate not being able to talk to you and Daddy."

Joyce agreed and ran her fingers through Buffy's hair. "Our door is always open."

She wiped her eyes. "I'll keep that in mind. I'm really glad that you guys came today."

"I'm glad that we did, too. I'll let you get back to William now. Take care, sweetie."

Buffy watched as her mother walked away, then closed the door. She turned around to see Spike standing there, with Emma almost falling asleep in his arms.

"She had a long day."

Buffy smiled and took the baby from him. "I'll put her to bed."

Spike nodded and followed her upstairs. He loved to watch Buffy care for his daughter.

She placed Emma in her crib and watched over the child, who was looking up at her with such trusting eyes.

Spike suddenly stopped when he heard something that made his heart swell.

Buffy had the same reaction.

"Mama," the little girl said.

Buffy looked at Spike, with new tears in her eyes.

He wrapped his arms around her and let her cry against his chest, knowing that they were partly happy tears.

Buffy was still guilty for being a surrogate mother to Emma, when her sister wasn't there to enjoy it. Having Emma say that word made it official. She saw Buffy as her mother and nothing was likely to change that. Since Elizabeth wasn't around to enjoy motherhood, Buffy decided that she would do the best job she could. Spike and Emma were her family now and they meant everything to her. She would never disappoint them.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"I don't think I can be your nanny anymore."

Spike was stunned. "You're quitting? What did I do this time?"

Buffy smiled at the look of fear on his face. "You didn't do anything. I just think that with everything that's happened with us, I shouldn't have you pay me anymore to watch Emma. I would gladly do that for free now. And since you're my boyfriend, don't you think it would be weird?"

"I guess I never thought about it. Does that mean you would be moving out?"

She shook her head. "Oh, you're not getting rid of me that easily. I just think it would be best if I found an actual job."

Spike agreed. "All right, that makes sense. What exactly did you do in Boston?"

Buffy took a deep breath. "I worked at a sleazy law firm. I just basically answered phones and ran errands. God, I hated that place. Never in a million years would I consider doing that again."

"How do you feel about retail? Anya works at the Magic Box and she might be willing to put a good word in for you. I think she mentioned they would be hiring."

Buffy raised her eyes. "I thought Anya was a phone sex operator."

He smiled. "That's her night job. What can I say? She loves to make money."

Buffy gave it some thought. "How much do phone sex operators make?"

Spike shook his head. "Don't even think about it. No girlfriend of mine is going to be giving pleasure to other men over the phone."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "It's not like I would really be sleeping with any of them."

"That's not the point. I'm the only one that gets that privilege."

She pouted. "Fine, spoil my fun. I'll talk to her about working at the Magic Box, but I won't be happy about it."

Spike could tell that she wasn't all that serious. He just smiled and placed a quick kiss on her lips. "That's my girl."

* * *

"Hey, how was your first day?"

Buffy groaned and plopped down next to him on the couch. "Tiring, there was this thing with a mummy hand..." She stopped at the look on his face. "Never mind, I guess you had to be there."

Spike put his arm around her. "How about a massage?"

She sighed. "That would be nice."

"Good, I can really use one."

Buffy slapped him on the arm.

He laughed and started to rub her shoulders. "Does that feel better?"

She closed her eyes. "It feels like Heaven, don't stop."

They were both silent for a while after that, until Buffy spoke up again.

"So, what did I miss today?"

Spike thought about it. "Well, Emma started to walk again."

Buffy opened her eyes to look at him. "Did she do it?"

He nodded. "She managed about two steps before she held up her arms for me to pick her up. I think she would rather just crawl everywhere."

"I can't believe I missed that."

Spike kissed her cheek. "I got it on tape for you."

Buffy smiled and pressed a kiss to his lips. "I love you." She instantly pulled away, startled by her confession.

Spike was just as shocked, it being the first time that was spoken by either of them. "Do you mean it?"

Buffy didn't even need to hesitate before she answered. "Yeah, I really do. I wasn't expecting to just blurt it out like that, though. Those words have never come easy for me, but I really mean it. I love you, Spike."

A huge smile formed on his face and he wrapped his arms around her, kissing the top of her head. "I love you, too. I didn't think I could ever love someone this much again, but you completely took me by surprise."

Buffy sighed in relief and held him tighter. For some reason, she was afraid that he wouldn't return her feelings.

* * *

"Emma finally fell asleep." His voice trailed off at the sight of Buffy lying in his bed, wearing some silky lingerie.

"You're drooling, Spike."

He snapped out of it and moved over to the bed. "Bloody hell, you should warn a bloke next time."

She smiled. "What would be the fun in that?"

Spike sat down next to her. "Love, not that I mind you being in my bed and looking like that, but why are you in here? I thought you weren't ready yet."

Buffy sat up. "I've thought a lot about this lately. I know that we both don't have a lot of experience. You've only been with my sister and there was the complete disaster that was my relationship with Riley, but I think I'm finally ready. I know I am, unless you don't think that you are. I mean, I would understand if you weren't. There's no hurry, I'm willing to wait for as long as you need to…"

Spike silenced her with a kiss. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately. "You definitely don't have to convince me," he whispered against her lips. "I want nothing more than to make love to you."

Buffy was relieved by his response and kissed him more passionately. She pulled him down on top of her.

Spike ran his fingers all over her body, slipping his hand under her nightie and caressing the smooth skin that he found there. He pulled away long enough to remove her nightie and gasped when her nude body was revealed to him for the first time. "You're so bloody gorgeous."

Buffy blushed and started to kiss him again, trying to discard his clothes in the process. She took in the sight of his naked body and couldn't believe that he was all hers.

Spike positioned himself above her and without giving much thought to anything else, slowly slid inside of her. He wasn't a very patient man and couldn't wait any longer.

She gasped at the penetration and clutched his shoulders.

He started to move faster and trailed kisses up and down her throat.

Buffy buried her face against his neck to muffle her screams. "Harder, Spike," she panted in his ear.

Spike was happy to oblige and pounded into her harder. He yelled out his release a moment later, Buffy right behind him.

She was breathing hard and ran her fingers over his back.

He moved off of her a few seconds later, not wanting to crush her.

Buffy smiled and rested her head against his chest. "That was amazing."

Spike agreed and placed a kiss on the top of her head. "Took the words right out of my mouth, love."

It wasn't long before they both drifted off to sleep, not thinking about the fact that no protection was used.


	13. Chapter 13

I guess because the e-mail alerts don't seem to be working right now, some of you might have missed the last couple of chapters. I hope you guys are still interested in this one, I'm about to get into the good stuff. I promise much Spuffiness if you stick with me. Thanks to those that have reviewed!

**Chapter 13**

"Thank you for shopping at the Magic Box. Have a nice day!" Buffy claimed with false perkiness as she watched another customer leave the shop. "God, what is with everyone buying mummy hands? Is there some freaky cult going on that I'm not aware of?"

Anya shrugged. "Well, maybe it helps with orgasms. If they're too lazy to use their own hand…"

Buffy clapped her hand over the other woman's mouth. "I beg you not to finish that sentence." She pulled away after a moment and sighed when another customer entered the store. It was a long day and she just wanted to go home, but she forced another smile on her face. She rubbed her tired eyes once the lady left, thankfully not purchasing a mummy hand.

Anya looked at her in concern. "Are you feeling okay? You've been kinda out of it today. Is Spike not getting the job done?"

Buffy shook her head. "He gets the job done fine; I don't know what's wrong. Maybe I'm just coming down with something."

Anya nodded and started to look through a box that was sitting by the register. "Oh, a new shipment of rat's eyes. I should store these in the back." She took a jar out and shook it. "That's just gross."

Buffy glanced at the jar that Anya was holding and suddenly felt sick. She put her hands over her mouth and ran to the bathroom.

Anya looked after her in confusion. "What did I say this time?"

* * *

Buffy came back out a little while later and saw that the owner, Rupert Giles, was now standing with Anya. 

"I told him that you weren't feeling well."

Buffy nodded at Anya and looked at the man. "I'm sorry, Giles. I don't know what's wrong with me."

"That's quite all right, Buffy. You should get home and rest. Anya can handle the register for the rest of the day."

She nodded again and turned back to Anya after he left. "Remind me never to have a peanut butter sandwich for lunch again. It's really not something you want to see in reverse."

Anya shuddered at the imagery, then decided to say what has been on her mind for the last few weeks. "You know, this isn't the first time you've gotten sick, Buffy. I think it's more serious than you think."

She raised her eyebrows. "Like what?"

Anya took a deep breath before she spoke again. "I think you might be pregnant. I'm no expert, but that's what it seems like. You should probably go to the doctor's to get it checked out."

Buffy sighed and sat down at the table, burying her face in her hands. She then gazed back up at her friend. "I am pregnant, Anya. I took two tests and they were both positive. I have a doctor's appointment next week. I just didn't want to say anything yet. I'm not sure how to tell Spike and I wanted it to come from me first. You can't say anything, not even to Xander."

Anya didn't know how to keep this a secret, but she agreed. "I won't, but you should tell him soon. He's bound to find out if you keep getting sick like this. Why aren't you sure about telling him? You already know he likes children."

"I know that, but we never talked about having kids. I don't even know if he wanted anymore after Emma."

Anya waved her hand in the air. "You have nothing to worry about. Trust me; I know he'll be happy about this. And if not, you can give him many orgasms and hope that he forgets about it."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Is that your answer for everything?"

Anya shrugged and picked up the box of rat's eyes. "It always works with Xander," she said, making her way to the back of the store.

Buffy just sat there for a while longer and thought about what she would say to Spike, praying that he would be okay with it.

* * *

She smiled when she entered the nursery and saw Spike reading a story to Emma.

Spike smiled as well when he saw her. "Okay, princess. We'll finish this another time." He got up and placed the little girl back in her crib, then made his way over to Buffy. "Hey, baby. How was your day?" he said, pressing a quick kiss to her lips.

Buffy pulled him out of the room. "I've had better."

He nodded and closed the door, then led her over to his room, which was now theirs. "Do you need another massage?"

Buffy shook her head. "I don't think that will really help right now."

"Are you okay? You're looking a little flushed."

She took his hand in hers and pulled him over to the bed, where they both sat down. "I have something to tell you and I don't really know how to do it."

He gave her hand a squeeze. "You can tell me anything, love. What's wrong?"

Buffy took a deep breath. "Okay, I guess I'll start by saying that I've been feeling queasy lately. I've been getting sick a lot at work."

Spike looked concerned. "Is it the flu? Did you eat something that upset your stomach?"

Buffy shook her head and just decided to come out with it. "Spike, I'm pregnant." She expected him to be in shock, but she never expected the look of fear on his face.

"You're…You're what? No, you can't be." He shook his head repeatedly and jumped off of the bed, pacing the room back and forth. "This isn't happening. I knew we weren't being careful enough. We should have been more careful. I'm a weak man and I don't always remember a condom, you should have been on the pill. I should have made sure that you were before we ever did anything. We…We can't be having a baby."

Buffy felt her heart break, knowing that he didn't want the baby. She never thought that he would have reacted like the idea was so horrible and felt tears start to from in her eyes, but it was his next words that really got to her.

"I can't go through that again. I'm not strong enough. I can't lose you, Buffy. It would kill me. I can't raise another child on my own."

Buffy now understood his reaction and instantly got up. She wrapped her arms around Spike, letting him cry against her shoulder. "It's okay, sweetie. I'm not going anywhere. You'll never lose me. I'll always be here with you."

He shook his head again. "Elizabeth was taken from me too soon. We never saw it coming. I couldn't survive if that happened again. Not with you, Buffy. I love you so much. You're everything to me."

She flooded his face with kisses and held him tighter. "I'm not my sister, Spike. You will never lose me. We're going to have a child together. One that's yours and mine, I couldn't ask for anything more. She will grow up knowing both of her parents. Nothing will ever take me away from any of you, okay? You, Emma, and this baby are my family now. That will never change."

Spike pulled away after a moment and wiped his eyes, giving her a small smile. "She?" he wondered.

Buffy smiled in return. "Or he, I just have a feeling that it might be a girl."

"We're going to have a baby?"

She nodded and felt relieved by the change in his mood. "Yeah, it looks like it."

A huge smile formed on his face now as he picked Buffy up and twirled her around.

Buffy laughed and warned Spike about her queasiness, causing him to quickly let her go.

He started to get excited after that and already thought of names for the baby. "How about Ruth?"

Buffy scrunched up her nose in distaste. "I'm going to veto that."

"Why? It's a good name. It was my grandmother's name. It means she'll be strong and independent." He stopped to think for a moment. "Yeah, that's a good idea. My grandmother was a horrible woman, anyway."

Buffy laughed and slapped him on the arm. She followed him out of the room as he continued to reveal baby names that she would never name her child, but she loved that Spike was so excited. They had quite a journey ahead of them and she could hardly wait.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

"Spike, would you please stop pacing? You're making me dizzy."

He stopped moving and turned to look at her. "Sorry, being in here just makes me uncomfortable."

"I told you that you didn't have to come with me."

Spike shook his head. "The one thing I regretted with Elizabeth is that I wasn't around as much as I should have been when she was pregnant with Emma. I'm going to be there for everything with this child. Besides, the sonogram is very important. I wouldn't want to miss it."

Buffy's response was cut off by the arrival of the doctor.

The woman entered the room, with a warm smile on her face. "I'm Doctor Winifred Burkle, but you can call me Fred. Why don't you just lay down for me, Buffy? The gel will feel cold at first, but this is so we can make sure you have a healthy baby."

Buffy nodded and followed the doctor's orders. The gel was cold, but it felt good on her heated skin.

Spike was holding her hand the whole time.

Fred smiled once she was finished. "Well, everything looks good. You're about three months along and I'm getting two very strong heartbeats."

Buffy and Spike's eyes both widened.

"Did you say two heartbeats?" she asked in shock.

Fred nodded. "Yes, you're having twins."

Buffy couldn't believe what she was hearing.

Spike wrapped his arms around her. "This is bloody amazing."

She was just relieved that he seemed to be okay with it.

"Would you like to know the sex of the babies?"

Spike looked at Buffy, who shook her head. "No, we would rather be surprised," he said to the doctor.

Fred nodded and printed out the picture of their sonogram.

Buffy was still lost in her thoughts. She really hoped that she would be able to handle all of this.

* * *

Willow was watching Emma while they were at the doctor's. She was ecstatic with the news of them having twins, but Buffy was still in shock. 

Spike helped her upstairs and into their room after Willow left. She looked like she might pass out at any moment. "Love, are you all right?"

Buffy sat down on the bed and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just wasn't expecting this."

"Neither was I, but it's a good thing, right?"

She took his hand in hers. "It's a very good thing. I mean, having twins is just like having one baby. I can handle this. It doesn't hurt that much, right?"

Spike ran his fingers through his hair. "Uh, hardly any pain. It'll probably be a piece of cake."

Buffy raised her eyebrows. "You're a terrible liar. How would you know, anyway? I need to talk to someone that's been through this. I'm calling my mother."

Spike stopped her from getting up. "You don't need to call your mother right now, Buffy. I promise you're going to do fine. I'll be there with you through everything. You're not alone."

She smiled and rested her head against his shoulder. "Thanks, that means a lot. I could only imagine how scared Elizabeth must have been when she found out that she was pregnant."

Spike laughed. "Scared? I've never seen her so happy before. She loved the idea of having a child; the pain never even crossed her mind. Well, not until the actual labor."

Buffy looked up to notice the sad expression on his face. "I'm sorry, Spike. I didn't mean to bring up bad memories."

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Don't worry about it, pet. Your sister will always hold a place in my heart, but I love you. I believe that everything will work out."

"I just know that she would have made an amazing mother. She talked about having kids since she was little. It was never something that I wanted. I didn't even think that I was mother material. I always figured I would screw up if I had any children."

Spike caressed her cheek. "You are already a wonderful mother, Buffy. You're great with Emma and I know you'll be amazing with the twins. You have nothing to worry about."

Buffy nodded and decided to change the subject. "Well, we better be thinking of boy and girl names. We could be having one of each now."

Spike thought about it. "I don't know. I think they might be girls."

"Don't you want a boy?" she wondered.

He shrugged. "Boys might be too much to handle when they get older."

"Oh, if only you were around when I was growing up. Trust me; girls are just as hard, especially when they start dating."

He looked appalled by that idea. "No daughter of mine is going to be dating until she's at least thirty."

Buffy patted Spike on the back. "You keep telling yourself that, honey."

* * *

Spike and Buffy were out at the Bronze a few nights later. He didn't really want to go, but Buffy insisted that she needed some fun before she would start to show too much. 

Emma was with Joyce and Hank for the night. They wanted to get to know their granddaughter better.

Buffy was feeling parched and went to get a glass of water, assuring Spike that she could handle it on her own. She stopped suddenly when she reached the bar at the sight of a familiar man sitting there, throwing back a few shots.

He slammed the glass down and ordered another one.

Buffy tried to get away without being noticed, but there was no such luck.

"Hey, I wanna talk to you."

She sighed and turned to face the drunken man.

Ben got up and made his way over to her. "How could you treat your sister like that? Did you know that she thought the world of you? And you just left her heartbroken. How long have you been screwing that worthless husband of hers? No wonder she came to me. He never could have loved her the way I did. You're nothing compared to her. You don't even deserve to have the same face as Elizabeth." He shoved her in his anger and caused her to stumble back a little.

Buffy would have probably fallen if it wasn't for the hard body that she bumped into. She looked up to meet the fuming eyes of Spike, who was glaring daggers at Ben.

"You don't ever push her again, wanker. I think you need to get out of here before I really make a scene."

Ben didn't even look afraid. "I don't have to listen to you. Elizabeth always complained to me about how much you were always working and never there for her. She was the most perfect woman in this world and you didn't even appreciate her. I hope you and the slut are real happy together," he spat, then stormed out of the club.

Spike softened his gaze when it landed on Buffy. "Are you okay, love?"

She nodded and forced a small smile on her face. "Yeah, I'll be fine."

He could tell that she didn't seem so sure and wrapped his arms around her. "Don't listen to anything he said, Buffy. The git doesn't even know us."

"Spike, can we just go home now?"

He nodded without hesitation and took her hand, pulling her away and out of the Bronze.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

"Buffy, please talk to me. You've been quiet the whole way home."

She continued to ignore him.

Spike had enough and grabbed her shoulders, turning her around to look at him. He was stunned to see tears in her eyes. "Love, what is it?"

Buffy pulled away from him. "I'm a horrible person. How could I be with you when my sister is dead? She's the one that should be here. This is her life and I don't have any part in it. I shouldn't be so happy knowing that she's not here. Elizabeth is gone and she's never coming back. How could you even want to be with someone that's not her? She was your first real love and I can never replace that. How could you stand being around me knowing that I look like her? God, you should hate me. You should hate me for being here when she's not." She was openly crying now and didn't care to hide it.

Spike wrapped his arms around her and let her sob against his chest, kissing the top of her head. "You are not a horrible person. So far from it. I know this is hard for you, but we're not doing anything wrong. I know your sister would have wanted us both to be happy, whether it be with each other or someone else. I thought she was my first love, but she wasn't. It was you, Buffy. I fell in love with you at first sight when I saw you at the Bronze. Just because I thought it was her doesn't change anything. I did love Elizabeth, but there was always something missing when I was with her. She must have felt the same thing to have gone to that ponce. I don't regret any of the time I had with you. We're going to have twins together and I couldn't ask for anything more. It would kill me if you regretted that."

Buffy shook her head and finally looked up at him. "I'm sorry, Spike. I don't regret anything. They're my children and I love them already. I could never regret such a miracle. I'm just feeling really emotional right now. I blame the hormones."

Spike chuckled and pressed his lips to her forehead. "You have about six more months of that."

She groaned. "Why can't they come out now? Waiting for nine months is just torture. Why can't the men have the babies?"

Spike raised his eyebrows. "That would be interesting, but women make pregnancy beautiful. We could never pull it off."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Please, you're just scared of the pain. You would probably have one cramp and then kill yourself."

"That's not true, I could handle it."

Buffy wasn't convinced and decided to change the subject. She ran her hands over his chest. "Make love to me, Spike. I need to feel you right now."

He was happy to oblige and lifted her into his arms.

She let out a squeal as he carried her up the stairs. "I'll soon be too heavy for you to do this."

Spike shook his head. "You'll never be too heavy for me to carry you."

Buffy was satisfied by that answer.

They made it to their bedroom and he gently put her on the bed.

Spike pulled her blouse up and placed his hand over the tiny bulge in her belly. He lowered his head and planted kisses on her stomach. "Hey, little ones. This is your daddy. I can't wait to see you," he whispered.

Buffy smiled down at him. "I love you," she said with so much emotion in her voice.

He glanced up at her, with a smile of his own. "I love you, too. You're going to be a great mother, Buffy."

"And you're going to be a great father. Well, you already are, but you know what I mean."

Spike nodded. "I know what you mean. This time I'm going to do things right. I wasn't there for Emma much when she was first born. I practically missed the first seven months of her life. I won't make that mistake again. These babies are going to know what it's liked to be loved every second of their lives. They'll start to get sick of me."

She laughed. "I don't think you have to worry about that until they're teenagers."

He agreed and then got back to the point. "Wasn't I supposed to be making love to you?"

"You were, but I'm too tired now. All this baby talk can take a lot out of a person. The crying really doesn't help, either."

Spike pouted.

"That won't work with me. I invented that. Can you just hold me instead?"

He had no problems with that and lay down beside her, wrapping his arms around her tiny frame.

She rested her head against his chest and shut her eyes.

Spike gazed down at her sleeping form, brushing the hair out of her face to get a better look at her. He moved his hand back to her abdomen and soon fell into a peaceful sleep, knowing that his family was safe and protected.

* * *

"Buffy, you don't have to keep coming in. Giles said you should get some rest."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm not helpless, Anya. I'm only four months pregnant. I can still come to work until I start to show more. I need to do something besides sitting around the house all day."

Anya nodded and decided not to say anything else about it. She just looked around the store. "Where's Faith? I just can't keep up with that girl. She's only been working here for about a month now and I've hardly seen her do anything. I don't know why Giles doesn't fire her. Do you think they're sleeping together?"

Buffy shuddered at just the thought of that. "Okay, that is so beyond gross. She's his step-daughter, Anya. He hired her to give her a chance and good God; I would hope they're not sleeping together."

A brunette then came out from the back of the store. "Who am I sleeping with?"

Buffy wasn't about to say anything, but Anya couldn't keep her mouth shut.

"We were just wondering if you've been giving orgasms to Giles. I mean, it's not like you're really related. He is very ruggedly handsome."

Faith held her hand up. "I beg you never to say that again. He's like my dad and he's really old, there is no way in Hell. He's been taking care of me since my mom died. That's wrong on so many levels, but I'm starting to think that you might be having orgasms with him."

Anya shook her head. "Of course not, he's my boss and that would be awkward. I only give orgasms to Xander."

Faith rolled her eyes. "How nice for him."

Buffy tried not to laugh, but it was a losing battle. She stopped when someone walked into the store.

Faith smiled at the man that entered. "Besides, I'm already taken."

He walked over to the dark haired girl and planted a hard kiss on her mouth. "Hey, babe. You ready to go?"

Faith nodded. "Yeah, I can use an early break."

He smiled and turned to the other two women. "I almost forgot to say hello to these lovely ladies." He walked over to Anya and Buffy and placed a kiss on both of their cheeks, looking Buffy up and down. "Well, don't you just glow?"

She blushed a little, even though she was used to how affectionate he could be by now.

Faith wasn't amused. "Doyle, we talked about this. No hitting on my friends when I'm in the room."

"I was only being polite. Let's get going, lass. See you ladies later," he said, taking Faith's hand and pulling her out of the shop.

Anya sighed as she watched them go. "She'll be getting a lot of orgasms tonight. I love a man with an accent."

Buffy gave her a look.

"Well, not your man. He just doesn't do it for me. It would be like sleeping with Giles."

She cringed. "Thank you for those nightmares."

Anya smiled and didn't realize that she said anything wrong. "Glad I could help."

"Oh, bloody hell," was heard from the back of the store.

Buffy frowned when she realized that Giles might have listened to what was being said.

Anya pouted now. "I guess I'm probably not getting that raise."

Buffy just shook her head and got back to work.


	16. Chapter 16

Well, I thought the e-mail alerts were working better, but now I'm not too sure. It seemed like no one read the last chapter, which I think was one of my favorites. I still hope that you guys are interested in this. We still have quite the journey to go with it. Please feel free to let me know what you think. I love reading your comments. Thanks to those that always review me, it's much appreciated. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

**Chapter 16**

"So, how is it dealing with a very hormonal Buffy?"

Spike rubbed his tired eyes and addressed his friend. "I haven't slept in what feels like years. I have never known a woman to have so many cravings before. Her attitude seems to change every few seconds. She's all sweet one moment, then bites my head off the next. Don't get me wrong. I love her, but I'm tempted to strangle her."

Xander laughed. "It can't be that bad. She's almost nine months pregnant, it should be easier when the babies are born."

Spike raised his eyebrows. "You've never had kids, have you?"

Xander shook his head. "Could you really picture me as a father? It's not something that will be happening anytime soon."

"Spike, get your ass up here now!"

He cringed at the sound of his girlfriend's voice coming from their bedroom, glaring at Xander when he started to laugh again. "I'm coming, sweetheart!" he yelled to her, then turned to his friend. "If I'm not back in five minutes, there's a chance I didn't make it."

Xander rolled his eyes. "I'm sure you're being dramatic for nothing."

"Yeah, we'll see," Spike said, then took a deep breath and headed up the stairs. He pasted a smile on his face once he got to their room. "You rang?"

She scowled at him. "Do you have to walk so loud? If there were people living under us, they would probably be complaining right now."

"Well, it's a good thing we're in a house then. Was there something I could help you with?"

Buffy grabbed the empty glass that was next to the bed. "I need more ginger ale."

He nodded and took the cup from her, but she wasn't finished.

"Oh, don't forget the peanut butter this time."

Spike let out a sigh. "Yes, dear," he said, then mumbled to himself. "Elizabeth was never this difficult."

"What did you say?"

He shut his eyes and opened them to notice the pissed off expression on Buffy's face. "Uh, I said you were beautiful?"

She stood up and waddled over to him. "No, that's not what you said. I'm sorry that me being pregnant is such an inconvenience for you. You don't know how I'm feeling right now and I'm sorry that I'm not perfect like my sister. She probably didn't have any weird cravings or complained about anything, did she? What am I saying? Of course she didn't."

"Love, you know I didn't mean anything by it." He felt like an even bigger ponce when he noticed the tears in her eyes.

"I really hate you right now," she said, turning away from him.

Spike moved closer to her. "I know you don't mean that, baby."

Buffy pulled away and grabbed his pillow off of the bed, throwing it at his chest. "You can sleep on the couch tonight, or your office. I really don't care at this point."

He was about to reply, but she held up a hand to stop him.

"I want to be left alone."

Spike sighed and left the room, knowing that it would be best to do as she said when she got like that. He made his way back to the kitchen to join his friend.

Xander looked up from the paper he was reading to see Spike holding a pillow. "I guess it didn't go well."

Spike shook his head. "I'm on the couch again. I can't wait until this bloody pregnancy is over. I want those babies out of her now."

"Come on, isn't pregnancy such a beautiful thing?"

Spike threw the pillow at his head. "Stuff it, Harris."

"God, do you have to breathe so loud? I can hear you all the way up here, and I want my damn ginger ale!" Buffy yelled down to them, then slammed the bedroom door.

Spike clenched his fists at his side. "It's wrong to hit a woman, right? I'm very close to losing it here."

Xander laughed. "Who are you kidding, Spike? You would never hit her."

"No, but I might do something just as bad." He groaned when he heard the baby crying. "Great, she woke Emma up. I just can't get a break."

Xander agreed. "Just think, soon you'll have two more to take care of. I wish you luck with that."

Spike was not amused. "You can feel free to leave now."

Xander held his hands up. "Okay, I'm already gone," he said, then left out the back door.

Spike took in a deep breath and headed back up the stairs. He made his way into the nursery and went right to the crib to pick up the screaming child. The nursery was huge and it was already set up for the two new additions to the family when they arrived. "Daddy's here now, princess. No need to cry," he said soothingly, rubbing her back in the process. He then left the room and headed over to his to check on Buffy.

She got up the second Spike walked in with Emma. "Here, let me take her."

Spike handed the baby over to Buffy.

She took the child and started to sing to her softly.

Spike was amazed when she suddenly stopped crying.

Buffy looked up at him. "My mom used to sing us a lullaby when we were little to try to get us to sleep. I figured I would try it on Emma. She seems to like it."

Spike sighed in relief. "That's perfectly understandable. You do have a lovely voice."

Buffy raised her eyebrows. "Oh, flattery will get you nowhere right now, mister. You're still sleeping on the couch."

He shrugged. "Well, it was worth a try."

Buffy gave him a small smile, which quickly faded once she felt something. Her eyes bulged when she realized what it was. "Spike, take the baby."

Spike was confused, but did as she said. "Are you okay?" he asked once he took Emma from her.

"Not so much, my water just broke."

His eyes widened. "Are you sure?"

"Pretty sure, do you not see the puddle that I just made on the floor?"

Spike looked down and noticed that she was right. He nodded and took her hand. "Okay, let's get you downstairs. I'll call Willow to come and watch Emma, then I'll take you to the hospital. Do you think you can manage until she gets here?"

Buffy nodded and took deep breaths. "I think I can, just make it fast."

Spike headed into the kitchen to do just that.

Willow arrived at the house in about fifteen minutes after getting the call. She took Emma from Spike and wished them luck as he ushered Buffy out of the house and over to his car.

Spike helped her get in on her side, then made his way over to the other side. He looked at Buffy to notice that she was breathing hard. "Just keep taking deep breaths, love. I'll get us there as fast as I can."

Buffy nodded and continued with her breathing exercises.

Spike started the car and took off to the hospital, praying that this labor would go well.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

"You are never touching me again!" Buffy yelled as another contraction ripped through her.

"Come on, baby. You don't mean that."

She sent Spike a look that could kill, which immediately shut him up.

"You're doing a great job, Buffy. Just give us another big push," the doctor told her.

Buffy shook her head. "I can't. It hurts too much."

Spike gripped her hand and kissed her knuckles. "You can do it, love."

She pulled her hand out of his, not in the mood for any comfort. "You're so getting a vasectomy after this."

Spike paled at her words, hoping that it was just the pain talking.

Buffy gave another push and lay back down, shaking her head as she looked at the concerned man next to her. "I'm sorry, Spike. I can't do it. I don't know how my sister managed. I'm not like her. I'm not strong enough."

He grabbed her hand again and gave it a squeeze. "You're the strongest woman I know, Buffy. I love you so much, baby. I know you can do this."

Buffy took his words in and nodded, realizing that she really needed his comfort at the moment. She then pushed with all of her strength and felt tears fall from her eyes at the sound of a baby crying.

"We have the first baby. Congratulations, it's a girl."

Spike smiled when he saw them take the infant away to be cleaned off and put in a blanket. "We have another daughter, sweetheart."

Buffy was crying when she got a look at her daughter, but it wasn't over yet.

"All right, Buffy. The other one is ready to come out. Can you give us another push?"

She took a deep breath and did just that, squeezing Spike's hand harder.

He winced a little, but didn't complain.

Buffy lay back in the bed once she heard the cries of her other child, feeling completely exhausted.

"Congratulations again, you have a boy."

Spike could no longer keep his tears in. "We have a son," he said in awe, glancing down at Buffy. "You did it, love. I knew you could."

Buffy nodded and gave him a small smile. "We did it," she whispered, then closed her eyes.

Spike suddenly felt worried. "Baby, are you okay?" He turned to the doctor in a panic. "She's okay, right?"

The doctor nodded. "She's going to be fine. You have two very healthy babies."

Spike sighed in relief and looked back at Buffy to see that her eyes were now open.

"It's okay, I'm just tired. That really takes a lot out of you," she replied.

He bent down and wrapped his arms around her gently, planting kisses all over her face. "God, Buffy. I was so terrified."

"I know, but we're all fine. I told you everything would be okay."

Spike nodded and pulled away to look at her. "You weren't really serious about me getting a vasectomy, were you?"

She smiled and shook her head. "Don't worry; I wouldn't do that to you."

Spike was once again relieved. "Oh, thank God."

The doctor moved over to them and placed the babies in their mother's arms. One snuggled in a blue blanket, the other in pink.

Buffy felt more tears cloud her vision when she gazed upon her children. "They're so perfect, Spike."

He agreed and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Just like you."

She smiled at his compliment. "What are we going to name them?"

Spike shrugged. "I'll leave that up to you."

Buffy took a moment to think it over, but it wasn't really that hard of a decision. She caressed the cheek of her daughter. "How about Elizabeth Rose? She looks like a Lizzie."

Spike smiled in response. "I think it suits her. Where did you get Rose?"

"It was my grandmother's name. She would always spoil us when we were little. I could talk to her about anything and she was a great listener. She passed away when we were twelve, but there isn't a day that I don't think about her. She would always whisper to us from the bottom of the stairs on Christmas morning to let us know that Santa arrived. She let us take a peek before our parents woke up, they never knew about it. She was really sick, but would try to act like she wasn't around us. She was always so strong and didn't want us to worry, but we knew something wasn't right. She…She ended up dying in the hospital. I was with her when it happened. I was supposed to be in the waiting room, but I couldn't stay put. I just had to see her. It was hard on all of us after that."

Spike looked at her fondly. "I'm sorry about that, love. I guess that was never something your sister wanted to talk about, but I think it's the perfect name for this little angel. Now, what do you think would suit him?"

Buffy glanced down at her son and smiled. "William James, he's the spitting image of his father."

Spike was surprised that she wanted to name their son after him. He wiped his eyes and tried to keep his emotions in control. "That means a lot, love. Why did you pick James? Did you name him after your grandfather?"

She shook her head. "No, I just like the name. There's also a really hot actor named James that I love. I can't remember his last name, though."

Spike laughed. "Well, I think it works out. Elizabeth and William," he said, gazing down at the babies. He couldn't imagine a more perfect moment to voice his next question. "So, do you think this is a good time to ask you to marry me?"

* * *

Okay, how evil am I? Yep, I'm sure you all just hate me right now, but I never take long with the updates. I wanted to say that Buffy's speech about her grandmother was based on my own. It was hard to write, but I managed to get through it. That is actually what I plan on naming my daughter, after both of my grandmother's. I hope you guys liked this chapter. I know it was short, but I figured that would be a good place to stop. I am evil, after all. Of course I couldn't let anything happen to Buffy. It would be just cruel to do the same thing again, and I like to think I'm not that evil. Thanks for the reviews! 


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

They were allowed to leave the hospital a couple of days later.

Buffy has yet to give Spike an answer to his proposal. She needed more time to think about it and wanted to wait until they got back home.

Spike was worried about the fact that she needed to think about it. They had two children together now and he figured her answer would have been easy. He had to keep in mind that all of this was still new for her and she might not be ready for marriage yet. He would be happy to wait until she was, even if that happened to be forever.

They put the babies down in the nursery with Emma, then headed into their room for the night.

Spike couldn't handle the silence any longer. "Buffy, have you thought more about what I asked?"

She took a deep breath. "Yeah, I have. Spike, you know that I love you, but I'm just not ready to get married yet."

He felt a little hurt, but tried not to let it show.

Buffy managed to see through it. She took his hands in hers. "I'm not saying it won't happen. I definitely want to get married to you, just not right now. If you ask me again maybe in a few months, I might have a different answer for you. Is that okay?"

Spike nodded and gave a small smile. "I think I can handle that, as long as there's a possibility. I rushed into marriage with Elizabeth. I don't think either one of us was really ready for it. I want to take my time with you."

Buffy sighed in relief. "That's good to know. Now, let's get some sleep. I have a feeling we might be woken up in the middle of the night."

Spike agreed as they both got ready for bed.

* * *

Buffy groaned when a crying baby woke her up from a peaceful sleep. It was four months since they first brought the twins home and she hardly got any sleep in all that time. Emma was pretty easy, so she never had to deal with being woken up before.

Spike shifted next to her. "I'll take care of it, love," he said and got out of bed, putting his robe on. He made his way into the nursery to see Elizabeth sitting up in the crib and screaming her little lungs out. "What's wrong, princess? You're going to wake up your brother and sister." He gently picked up the child and rocked her back and forth.

Elizabeth started to calm down.

Spike rubbed her back in comfort. "I guess all you needed was Daddy to hold you." He gazed down at the infant's angelic face. "God, you look so much like your mother. I'm going to make you proud of me one day. I'll always be there for you." He glanced at the still sleeping children, then back at Elizabeth. "You're all my little miracles." He pressed a kiss to her forehead and saw that she was dozing off. He then placed her back in the crib and left the nursery, heading back to Buffy. He entered the room and removed his robe, lying back in bed. Spike turned to see that she was asleep. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer, kissing her hair.

Buffy opened her eyes to look at him. "Is everything okay?"

Spike nodded and kissed the tip of her nose to assure her. "They're perfect; I think Lizzie just needed to be held. Thank you so much, Buffy."

She looked at him in confusion. "What are you thanking me for?"

"Just for everything that you've done for me. You brought two, beautiful children into my life. I can't thank you enough for that."

Buffy caressed his cheek. "I didn't do it alone."

Spike nuzzled her hand. "You did more than you could possibly know. God, I don't know what I would have done if I lost you. I was devastated when I lost Elizabeth, but losing you would have killed me."

Buffy pressed a finger to his lips. "You don't have to worry about that now. I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere. You're bound to get sick of me," she said with a smile.

He shook his head. "There's no chance of that ever happening."

"Good answer. Get some sleep, Spike. We'll talk more in the morning."

Spike smiled and rested his head back on the pillow. He grasped her hand in his and soon fell into a deep slumber.

* * *

"I think we need to get a new nanny."

Buffy raised her eyebrows. "Are you sure we need one?"

Spike shrugged. "It might be good to get some extra help. We have three kids to care for now and we're both not always around. You'll be going back to work soon. I may work from home, but I could still use the help. I was barely able to take care of one child by myself."

Buffy nodded. "Okay, maybe you're right. You can put out another ad and hold interviews. Do you need my help with that?"

He shook his head. "I think I can manage. You have other things to worry about. Just trust me; I made the right decision when I hired you. It shouldn't be too hard to find someone else."

Buffy agreed, even though a part of her was a little worried.

* * *

"You found someone already?"

Spike nodded. "It wasn't all that hard. She was the only one that seemed qualified. She's taken care of a lot of children before. I think you'll like her."

Buffy gave a fake smile. "That's great; I can't wait to meet her."

Spike ushered Buffy into the living room, where there was an attractive, blonde woman waiting.

Buffy felt even more worried when she saw the blonde.

Spike smiled and introduced the woman as Darla Hart.

They shook hands and there was immediately something Buffy didn't like about the woman, but she couldn't quite place what it was.

Darla gave her a dazzling smile. "It's nice to meet you."

Buffy smiled in return. "Likewise, so, you've taken care of kids before?"

Darla nodded. "I love children. I can't have any of my own, so this is as close as I'm likely to get. I promise that I'm always good at the job. You'll have nothing to worry about."

Buffy wasn't convinced, but just kept the smile on her face anyway.

Spike decided to take her to the nursery to meet the kids.

Darla followed him up the stairs and smiled at the sight of the children. "Oh, they're just adorable." She cradled Emma in her arms and watched Spike as he picked up the twins. She licked her lips at the sight of the muscles in his arms. Yeah, she would definitely love this job.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

"Your children are so well-behaved, Buffy. Not to mention extremely adorable."

Buffy nodded and graced Darla with another smile that she wasn't feeling. The other woman insisted on accompanying her to the store. She claimed that she wanted to get to know the woman of the house better, but Buffy was finding that hard to believe. Darla has done nothing but suck up to her and she was starting to wonder why. No one could possibly be that nice. "Thanks, I like to think so."

"Spike is such a great father. You're so lucky to have a man like him in your life."

Buffy nodded again. "Believe me; I know how lucky I am. He's a great man, I couldn't be happier. So, what's your story? Is there a special someone in your life?"

Darla looked away. "Not at the moment. There was a while ago, but it didn't really work out. He couldn't handle the fact that I'm not able to have children and decided to look elsewhere."

Buffy detected a bitter tone in her voice and decided not to ask anymore questions.

They just continued the rest of the walk in silence.

* * *

Buffy entered the house after a tiring day at work to hear laughter coming from the living room. She headed in there to see Spike and Darla sitting on the couch, both laughing about something. She cleared her throat to get their attention.

"Care to let me in on the joke?"

Darla gave her a smile. "Spike was just telling me one of his many stories. The children are so lucky to have a great storyteller like him around."

Buffy noticed him blush and raised her eyebrows. "Yeah, he's the best. Honey, can I see you in the kitchen for a moment? I need your opinion about something."

Spike got up and followed her into the kitchen.

Buffy glared at him once they were alone. "What's going on in there? You two seem pretty friendly, a little too friendly if you ask me."

Spike shrugged. "We were just talking, Buffy. It was completely innocent. What? Would you not want me to talk to the woman that's caring for our children at all? She seems like a nice enough bird. I think you just need to give her a chance."

Buffy rubbed her eyes. "I'm trying, but there's just something that doesn't feel right about her. She was practically all over you in there and when we were out the other day, she couldn't stop asking questions about you."

Spike rubbed her arms to calm her. "You're making a big deal out of nothing, love. There is no reason for you to be jealous. You know that I could never be interested in another woman. She's just the nanny, that's all."

Buffy let out a sigh. "You're right, there's no reason for me to get all crazy about this. I'm sorry," she said with a pout.

Spike smiled and placed a tender kiss on her pouty lips. He never could resist when she did that. "I love you, baby. You're the only one for me. You know that, right?"

She nodded. "Yeah, just like you're the only one for me."

"God, I don't think we could possibly be anymore of a mushy couple."

Buffy slapped his chest playfully. "There's nothing wrong with that."

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer, planting a more passionate kiss on her lips.

* * *

Darla was steamed as she watched them hold each other, too wrapped up in their caress to notice her spying. She would not let anything ruin her plans, especially not a little ditz like Buffy. Darla always got what she wanted and this was no exception. Her last jobs might not have worked out, but she would not mess this one up. She wanted Spike from the first moment that she laid eyes on him. He would soon be all hers and Buffy Summers would be nothing but a memory.

* * *

Spike could tell that Buffy was not happy to be called into work later that night, apparently a huge shipment came in and they needed her help. He kissed her goodbye and told her that he would probably be in bed when she got home. He hated when she left for work, but knew it was important to her. He just missed having her around all the time. Spike made his way upstairs and saw that the light was on in Darla's room. He just shrugged and was about to go to his room, but her voice in the doorway stopped him.

"Spike, I'm glad you're there. Could you help me with something?"

He nodded and walked into her room, feeling tired and wondering what she wanted.

Darla gave him one of her bright smiles. "Sorry to bother you. I was just getting ready for bed and can't seem to get the zipper down on the back of my dress. Could you help me?"

Spike didn't think that was such a good idea, but figured it wouldn't hurt. It's not like he would actually take a peek at her. He would just help her with the dress and then leave.

She turned around and moved her hair out of the way.

Spike sighed and pulled her zipper down, taking a step back once he was done. "Right, I'll just be going now."

Darla placed her hand on his arm. "What's the hurry?" She pulled away and lowered the rest of her dress, so she was just in her skimpy lingerie.

Spike gulped and knew that he was in trouble.

* * *

Buffy was glad that she ran into Angel at the Bronze. She got out of the shop earlier than she thought and stopped at the club for a drink. He was nice enough to offer her a ride home. She really needed to start driving more. She didn't like the idea of Spike or her friends driving her everywhere. Walking was pretty much all she did, but she was getting tired of it.

Angel could tell immediately that something was bothering the blonde. "You okay, Buffy?" he wondered when the silence in the car became too much for him.

Buffy only shook her head. She told Spike that she was crazy for being worried about Darla, but she still couldn't help the bad feeling that she had. She looked at Angel and realized that it might make her feel better to talk about it. "It's not really important. Spike just hired this new nanny and I'm getting a bad vibe from her. I know I should just let it go, but I can tell that Darla's been flirting with him. I just don't think he realizes it."

Angel glanced at her quickly when they were at a red light. "Did you say Darla?"

Buffy nodded and wondered why he was looking at her funny, but he wasn't finished.

"Darla Hart?"

She was surprised by that. "Yeah, how did you know?"

Angel let out a breath. "I think you might have a reason to worry. Darla was our nanny about a year ago. Cordelia fired her because she had a habit of coming on to me. I didn't notice it at first, either. It wasn't until she tried to kiss me that I knew she was trouble. We were happy to get rid of her after that. I didn't want that kind of influence around my kids. If this is the same woman, you need to do something about her fast. If she's after Spike, there's no telling how far she'll go. She became obsessed with me after my wife got rid of her, constantly sending me letters and leaving notes on our doorstep. It wasn't until Cordy filed a restraining order that she left us alone."

Buffy felt like she was going to be sick. She just knew that woman was no good. Her eyes widened when something suddenly occurred to her. Spike was alone with Darla right now. She prayed that they would be able to get there in time. Buffy trusted Spike completely, but she did not trust that woman. One way or another, they were going to get her out of their lives for good.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

"I don't know what you think is going to happen, but you need to put some clothes on."

Darla pouted. "Come on, you can't honestly tell me that you're not interested. I saw the way you looked at me when I undressed. You want it just as much as I do."

Spike could have laughed if the situation wasn't so serious. "Why would I want you when I have Buffy? No offense, but you don't exactly do anything for me. I love my girlfriend and would never do anything to hurt her. I didn't lead you on. We talked and laughed, but that was it. I don't know where this is coming from."

She ran her hands down his chest. "You know that's not all it was, Spike. Buffy could never be good enough for you. I mean, there has to be a reason why you're not married. She's not woman enough to handle a guy like you."

Spike pried her hands off of his body and took a step back. "She's the only woman I could ever want. I'm sorry, but I think you need to leave. I can't have you around my kids anymore. I should have listened to Buffy when she warned me about you."

"Yes, but you didn't. I think a part of you wanted this to happen. You're not exactly trying to leave, are you? Just relax; Buffy doesn't even have to know if you don't want her to. This could be our little secret," she whispered, then captured her lips with his.

"I think you need to get your skanky self away from my boyfriend."

Spike instantly shoved Darla away and gazed at Buffy in the doorway. "Love, this isn't what it looks like. She wouldn't take the hint. I told her that I wasn't interested."

Buffy nodded and stepped further into the room. "It's okay, sweetie. I know what this slut is capable of. I had a talk with Angel today. I believe you remember him, right?"

Darla's eyes bulged, but she didn't say anything about it. "Hey, your boyfriend was putting the moves on me. It's not my fault that you can't satisfy him."

Buffy smiled and moved over to Spike. "Is that a fact?" She then grabbed the back of Spike's head and crushed his lips in a passionate kiss, slipping her tongue inside his mouth.

Spike wrapped his arms around her and eagerly returned the kiss.

Buffy pulled away after a moment, leaving Spike breathless. She smiled at Darla. "I don't think you had that effect on him."

Darla looked angered and crossed her arms over her chest. "That doesn't mean anything."

Buffy rolled her eyes, tired of dealing with the homewrecking bitch. She got in Darla's face and gave her a look that could kill. It was time to end this. "Let me make things very clear, okay? You're done here. If I ever see you near Spike again, I'll pull out every strand of your blonde hair and make you eat it. You'll be so repulsive that no man will ever want to touch you. Do we understand each other?"

Darla was about to respond, but changed her mind at the expression that was on Buffy's face. She just nodded and grabbed her things, luckily it wasn't much. She headed for the door and glanced back at them one more time. "He's not even worth it, anyway." She then left the room and made her way downstairs, slamming the front door behind her.

Buffy unclenched her fists and looked at Spike to see that his stare was one of awe. "You still in there?" she wondered.

"You're bloody amazing, you know that? I don't think I've ever been more turned on in my life."

Buffy laughed. "Hopefully by me."

Spike nodded and wrapped his arms around her waist. "There's no one else. I could have never wanted that overgrown Barbie. I'm sorry, love. I should have listened to you about her. I didn't realize she was such a nutcase."

"Well, you're a man. It's understandable that you would have missed it. We're fine, but don't let it happen again. Your lips are only mine to taste."

He smirked and lowered his head to do just that.

* * *

"I already found another nanny."

Buffy raised her eyebrows. "Are you serious? I think I'll be deciding this one. I don't want the same thing to happen again."

Spike smiled. "Trust me, there's no chance of that happening again. You'll definitely like this one, and she's willing to do it for free."

"Why would she do it for free?"

He shrugged. "She just needs a place to stay, but I will be paying her. She's a stubborn one and probably won't accept any money from me, but I love her just the same."

Buffy was confused, then smiled when she entered the living room and saw who Spike was talking about.

Tara stood up to greet them. "Hey, Buffy. I hope you don't mind about me staying here. I decided to move back and don't have any other options right now."

Buffy shook her head and embraced the other woman. "No trouble at all, it's great to see you again."

Tara returned the hug and pulled away after a few seconds. "It's great to see you, too. I heard you had some problems with your last nanny."

"You have no idea, but I would just like to forget that she ever existed."

Tara nodded. "That's completely understandable."

Spike moved over to them. "So, how come you don't want to move back in with Dad? Is the old man finally getting on your last nerve?"

Tara slapped him on the arm. "No, I just didn't want to impose. He has a new girlfriend now and I don't want to get in the way."

Spike was not expecting that. "He's shacking up with some woman that we don't even know? Have you met her?"

She shook her head. "Not yet, but he seems to really be into her. This could be good for him, William. He's been pretty lonely since Mom passed away. I hate the idea of him being in that house by himself."

Spike agreed. "I guess that makes sense. Well, I'll just take your things to the guestroom and let you two birds talk."

Buffy watched him leave and turned back to Tara. "Have you seen the twins yet?"

"I just got here a few minutes before you arrived, but I can't wait to see my new niece and nephew."

Buffy smiled and continued to talk more with Tara, positive that she would love having Spike's sister around.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

Buffy was bored out of her mind. No one has come into the store for over an hour and she was about ready to just head home. She glanced down at her hand to see the sparkling diamond that was there. It was a few weeks ago that Spike decided to propose to her and after the whole Darla thing; she was definitely ready to say yes. He was all romantic about it, too. She came home from work to find the house illuminated with candlelight, soft music playing, and dinner for two prepared. Tara was upstairs with the babies to give them some privacy. Spike got down on one knee after they ate and pulled the most beautiful, diamond ring out of his pocket. He claimed that it belonged to his mother, which just made her treasure it all the more.

"Nice place you have here."

Buffy was broken out of her reverie by the familiar voice. She was too distracted in her thoughts to notice that anyone entered the shop. When she looked up to see who it was, a bright smile lit up her face. "Lindsey? Oh my god," she said, then walked over to the man and gave him a big hug. "What are you doing here?" she wondered when she pulled out of the embrace.

"I would say business, but then I'd be lying. I just needed to get out of Boston for a while. It's never too early for a vacation, figured I would pay you a visit. I see you're doing well here," he replied, looking around the store.

Buffy nodded. "I didn't figure you for ever wanting to leave Wolfram and Hart, not even for a vacation. You love it there."

Lindsey shrugged. "It has its moments, but things haven't been the same without you. The secretary they hired after you left is a complete twit. She can't do anything right. I'm starting to think that she might be sleeping with the boss. Why else would he keep her around?"

Buffy laughed. "Well, not everyone can be as great as me. It's really good to see you, Lindsey. You're the only person I miss at that hellhole. I'm sorry we kinda lost touch, I've just been pretty busy here."

Lindsey glanced down and noticed the shining jewel on her finger. "Yeah, I can see that. I guess congratulations are in order. So, who's the lucky guy?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

He raised his eyebrows. "Try me."

Buffy took a deep breath. "Well, when I first came here I ended up being a nanny for my sister's husband and daughter, who I didn't even know existed. And well, I became more than just that."

Lindsey's eyes widened. "I have to say I never would have seen that coming. That has to feel a bit weird."

Buffy nodded. "It did at first, but now I can't imagine being with anyone else." She went to her purse to take out her wallet, opening it to show him a few pictures inside. "These are our three little ones. Emma is Spike and Elizabeth's daughter, and the other two are ours. I had them about six months ago."

He gazed down at the photos. "They're cute ones. You hardly look like you had twins. You got your figure back and everything."

Buffy laughed and put her wallet away. "Walking everywhere would do that to you, but I really couldn't be happier. I love my family and I don't know what I would do without them. We're planning on getting married around Christmas."

Lindsey could tell how happy she was. It made his excuse for really coming to Sunnydale seem stupid, but she instantly saw through it.

"So, why are you really here? I refuse to believe you just wanted a vacation. I mean, you could have gone anywhere. Why bother coming to Sunnydale? I have a feeling it wasn't just to catch up with me."

Lindsey ran his fingers through his hair and thought about what to tell her. "I do have my reasons, but it's nothing that matters now."

Buffy could tell that he was nervous. "You know you can still tell me anything, Lindsey. We used to be really close."

He nodded and took a breath to calm his nerves. "Well, you know that I used to like you. You said that you just wanted to be friends and I respected that, but I realized recently that I still have feelings for you. I guess I just came here to see if we could have a chance. I see that's not exactly possible now."

Buffy clearly wasn't expecting that. "You came here just to see if we had a chance? I think you already knew the answer to that, even if I wasn't with Spike. Things wouldn't have worked out with us when I lived in Boston, so I doubt they would have now that I live here. You know long distance relationships never work out. That's why I turned you down when I moved, Lindsey."

"I thought it was because of that Riley guy. You hardly trusted anyone after him."

She nodded again. "It was partly because of him, but you were just a good friend. I never felt that way about you. I'm sorry."

"Yeah, that's pretty much what I was expecting, but there is a method to my madness. I've been seeing someone recently and I just wanted to know if there was anything between us before I got too serious with her. I should have known that there wasn't, but I just had to see you one more time. You look really great, Buffy. I can tell how happy you are and I'm glad that you've found that. You really deserve it."

Buffy smiled and gave her old friend a hug. "We'll always be friends, Lindsey. I'm sure that girl you're with is great. She would have to be if you picked her. You should really give her a chance."

Lindsey agreed and held her tighter. He pulled away at the sound of a throat being cleared behind him.

"Am I interrupting something?"

Buffy pulled away as well to see Spike standing there. "Hey, what are you doing here?"

"Tara's watching the kids and I wanted to take you to lunch, but if you're busy," he said, looking over at Lindsey.

Buffy shook her head and introduced them. "Lindsey was a good friend of mine in Boston. He just decided to pay me a visit. This is Spike, my fiancé," she finished.

They both shook hands, dropping them after a moment.

Lindsey took the awkward silence as his cue to leave. "Well, it was great seeing you again, Buffy. I should really head back now." He gave her one more hug, then turned to Spike. "It was nice to meet you. You're a very lucky man. She's really special."

Spike nodded. "That she is."

Lindsey nodded as well, then left the store.

Spike gazed at Buffy once he was gone. "So, just a friend?"

She slapped his arm. "Yes, he was just a friend. Lindsey had a thing for me, but I never saw him as more than a friend."

Spike felt relieved by that and put his arm around her. "That's good to know. Now, let's get something to eat."


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

"Are you sure we have to go?"

Buffy rolled her eyes at Spike's constant whining. "Stop being such a baby. We're only going to have dinner with your father and his new girlfriend. It's not the end of the world. You haven't seen him in months, Spike."

He let out a sigh. "I know, but I don't like that he's dating. Why are we just now hearing about her? What if she's horrible? Let's face it; the old man hasn't made the best decisions in the last few years."

"That could be said about all of us. Look, just try and give her a chance. She can't be all that bad."

Spike wasn't convinced, but didn't say anything else about it.

Buffy went into the living room to find Tara and Willow in the middle of a conversation. Willow had no trouble watching the babies while they were out. Buffy was pleased that the two women already took an instant liking to each other. She was glad that Tara seemed to make another friend.

* * *

"William, it's great to see you. You're looking well."

Spike smiled and accepted his father's hug. Jacob Pratt was known to be a very affectionate man, more or less. "Same to you, Dad."

They pulled away and he gave the same treatment to Tara.

She kissed her father on the cheek. "We're glad to be here, Daddy."

He smiled at his daughter, then looked at Buffy. "Well, you just get lovelier every time I see you."

Buffy smiled as well and also accepted his embrace.

Jacob then ushered them all into the house and offered them drinks before dinner. He was going on about the new woman in his life and how he couldn't be happier, when said woman finally made her presence known.

"Binky, you should have told me that our guests have arrived."

Spike mouthed the word 'Binky' to Buffy and tried not to laugh at how absurd that name was, but the amusement quickly faded the second he laid eyes on his father's girlfriend. His jaw practically dropped at the young, blonde woman that showed up.

Jacob could see the shocked reactions on their faces and decided to introduce her. "This is my girlfriend, Harmony Kendall."

They were still speechless, so Harmony decided to speak up first.

"You must be William and Tara," she said and went to give them hugs, which were definitely awkward. "And you must be Bunny."

She rolled her eyes, but pasted a smile on her face. "It's Buffy, actually."

Harmony looked embarrassed. "Oops, sorry about that. I'm really bad with names, but it's great to finally meet both of you," she said to Spike and Tara. "My Binky is always talking about you."

Spike seemed to come out of his trance at that nickname again. "Oh, you have got to be bloody kidding me!" he exclaimed suddenly.

Buffy nudged him in the arm. "It's nice to meet you," she said to Harmony instead.

"She's bloody twelve-years-old! Are we being punked? This can't be serious."

Jacob glared at his son, but Harmony spoke again before he got a chance to.

"I understand that our age difference might be a problem for you, but I'm only twenty-five. We're all adults here and you should know better than anyone that you can't choose who you fall for. It just happens."

Buffy placed her hand on Spike's arm to calm him, then graced everyone with a big smile. "So, what's for dinner?"

* * *

"The man has lost his bloody mind. She's a tart, for crying out loud."

Buffy and Tara exchanged looks as they watched Spike continue to pace back and forth in the living room. He hasn't talked about anything else since they got home.

"Honey, you need to calm down already."

Spike looked at Buffy. "I can't calm down. Not when he's dating someone like that. She's an airhead and what kind of name is Harmony, anyway? That sounds like a stripper name. Back me up in this, Tara. You know it's wrong."

She shrugged. "Well, he does seem happy."

"That's not backing me up," Spike growled in irritation. "I'm never calling her mum. She's a bloody kid!"

Buffy grabbed his shoulders to stop the pacing. "Okay, you need to breathe. She's only a couple of years younger than you."

Spike threw his hands up in the air. "Exactly, she's younger than me. He's dating someone younger than his own kids. There is no good that can come out of this."

"Just look on the bright side, Spike. At least she's legal," Buffy told him.

He rolled his eyes. "Barely legal, I'm never going to be okay with this. It doesn't matter what either of you say, but I don't feel like dealing with it anymore tonight." He grabbed Buffy's hand. "Come on, I need something to take my mind off of this." He then pulled her upstairs and into their bedroom.

Tara watched them go with a sigh. She would definitely be needing earplugs that night.

* * *

Spike rolled off of Buffy and tried to get his breathing under control. He looked beside him to see her panting just as hard.

"I still can't get my mind off of it. We need to go again."

Buffy pushed him away when he tried to grab at her. "That is so not happening. I'm not a machine, Spike. I can hardly even feel my legs right now. I just really want to get some sleep. I think you need it, too. I'm sure things will look better in the morning." She pressed her finger to his lips when it looked like he was going to say something. "Just let it go and get some rest, okay? We'll talk about it later."

Spike nodded in defeat when she removed her finger and tried to get more comfortable. He wrapped his arms around her and soon fell into a deep slumber.

* * *

Tara sighed in relief when the sounds stopped. She couldn't believe they were going at it for hours, then cringed at the thought of her brother having sex a few doors down. It was amazing what the babies could sleep through. She tried to put everything out of her mind. William's sex life and her father getting involved with a woman half his age. None of that seemed to matter at the moment. The only thing Tara could think about was the striking red head she met earlier that day. With that thought in mind, she finally fell into a peaceful sleep. 


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

"Come on, love. You're really not being fair."

Buffy glared at him. "How is holding out on sex not being fair? We talked about this. It's not happening again, until you have a talk with your father. You can't keep avoiding him. I want you guys to work things out."

Spike groaned. "It's been two bloody weeks. Do you know how much you're torturing me right now?"

She crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, you know what to do to change that. I think this break could actually be good for us. It will prove that our relationship isn't based on a lot of sex."

Spike's expression softened. "You know our relationship is more than that."

Buffy nodded. "Yeah, I know. So, this shouldn't be such a problem for you. Just go and talk to your father, Spike. I spent eight years of my life away from my dad. I don't want the same thing to happen to you."

He agreed and pressed his lips to her forehead. "You're right; it's stupid to avoid him over this. I'll go over and talk to him tonight, okay?"

Buffy smiled. "That's all I ask."

* * *

"I'm glad that you decided to stop by, William."

Spike nodded and sat down on the couch in his father's living room. "Buffy managed to convince me. I hate that we're not talking right now. We used to have a good relationship. I don't know what happened."

Jacob thought it over. "I do, you weren't so fond of coming around here after your mother passed. I know you blame me for not being there for her. I loved your mother very dearly, son. Her illness took us all by surprise, but it was too painful for me to be here. I couldn't stand seeing her so sick when she was usually so full of life. It broke my heart."

Spike felt tears in his eyes at the mention of his mother, but tried not to let them show. "You could have stayed with her during her last days, but you didn't. You were too busy going out every night doing God knows what. She needed you more than anything and you weren't around. I was with her when she took her last breath, so was Tara. You should have been there, too."

"I know I should have. I've been regretting that every day, William. A part of me died with your mother, but I'm finally starting to feel something again. I haven't been this happy in years. I just wish that you could be happy for me."

Spike stood up and started to pace angrily. "Why her, Dad? You couldn't find anyone else closer to your age? She's younger than your own children; you had to have known that we would be upset about this."

Jacob took a deep breath. "I guess I was hoping that you could look past the age difference. She's a good woman. You would see that if you just gave her a chance. I don't care about the age and you shouldn't, either. It's just a number, William. I didn't say anything about that Drusilla woman that you dated."

"She was only seven years older than me."

He nodded. "I never said anything because it was your life and I didn't want to interfere, even though I knew that woman would have been no good for you. You weren't a child anymore and I wanted you to figure that out for yourself. And then there was sweet Elizabeth. I loved her like my own daughter and never had any complaints. Did I say anything when you fell in love with her sister? No, because I could see how happy Buffy made you. All I want is for you to be happy, son. That's all a father could ever want for his children. Don't I deserve the same happiness?"

"I bloody hate it when you make sense," Spike grumbled.

Jacob smiled. "I'm truly happy, William. I haven't felt this alive in years."

Spike sighed and sat back down. "All right, I suppose that I can try and accept this. You should know what you're doing more than I do. I just don't want you to get hurt. Whenever young girls go for older men, it hardly ever works out. They always have some ulterior motive."

"Trust me, William. I have a good feeling about this one."

Spike nodded after a moment. "Fine, but I'm not calling her mum if you ever decide to get married. That's just too bloody weird."

Jacob laughed. "Well, no one is talking about marriage just yet, but I appreciate that you're trying to be okay with this. It means a lot to me. You'll see that Harmony's not all that bad. She's a nurse at the local hospital. She's great when it comes to caring for other people. I'm definitely in good hands."

Spike didn't want the image of his father with a young woman in his head and was about to change the subject, when the woman in question finally decided to grace them with her presence.

"Oh, I didn't realize anyone was here. Sorry I took such a long nap," Harmony said to Jacob, walking over to him and planting a kiss on his cheek.

"That's quite all right, darling. I was just having a much needed talk with my son. I think everything is better with us now."

Harmony smiled. "That's really great to hear."

Spike didn't know what else to say and just shifted in his seat.

Jacob decided to go into the kitchen to make some coffee, leaving them alone in the living room.

Harmony sat down in the chair across from Spike, breaking the silence after a few seconds. "I know you don't really like me, but I really do love your father. It's probably a shock since we've only been together for a few months, but sometimes all you need is one look at the other person to know that you will love them forever."

Spike seemed to really see her for the first time, realizing that she wasn't as dumb as he thought. "I think I know that better than anyone. My father's happy and that's all I really care about. Just take good care of him and we won't have any problems."

Harmony flashed him a bright smile now. "You definitely won't have to worry about that. I love my Binky very much."

Spike cringed. "That's another thing we need to talk about. Binky? You couldn't come up with anything better? That sounds like a child's toy, not a name for a grown man."

Harmony thought about it. "How about Blondie Bear? His hair is more gray than blonde, but I think it could work."

Spike raised his eyebrows. "Binky it is, then."


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

Buffy rolled her eyes at the couple that was making out in front of her. She was working and didn't like to tolerate the open display of affection. It was cute at first, but now it was just distracting.

"Is there a possibility that you guys could take this elsewhere? You're scaring the customers away."

Faith pulled away from Doyle to stare at Buffy. "Sorry about that, B. We get like this when we haven't seen each other in a while."

"It's only been a day."

Faith shrugged. "Yeah, but a long day.

Doyle nuzzled his face against Faith's neck, which caused her to laugh and continue kissing him.

Buffy rolled her eyes again and hoped that her mushiness with Spike was never that nauseating.

"Oh, dear lord. Faith, this is not professional. You have work to do in the back room."

Faith was embarrassed that time as she pulled away from her boyfriend. "Sorry, Dad, I'll get right on that." She gave Doyle one more quick kiss on the lips, then headed to the back of the store.

Giles polished his glasses and left to get a drink.

"Well, I guess I can go now. See you around, lass."

Buffy sighed in relief as she watched Doyle leave the shop. She shook her head and got back to reading the paper that was in front of her, but knew that she wasn't completely alone. "You can stop hiding now. I know you're there."

The young girl cursed for being caught and came out from behind the stacks. "How did you know I was here?"

Buffy looked up at her and smiled. "I have spies everywhere. What are you doing here, Dawn? Aren't you supposed to be in school right now?"

She shrugged. "It was an early release day and I got bored. My mom's hardly ever home, anyway. I doubt she would miss me."

Buffy nodded and could tell that the subject was sensitive for the girl, so she decided to change it. "Come over here, I wanna show you something."

Dawn was curious and walked over to her.

Buffy went through a box that was next to the register and pulled out a bottle. She held it up for Dawn to see.

"Wow, that's so cool! Are those real eyes?"

Buffy laughed. "They're newt eyes, used for spells and such. I don't know much about magic, but they're pretty gross to look at."

Dawn shook her head and grabbed it from her. "Do you think magic is real?"

Buffy shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't exactly needed to cast any spells, but I do believe that there are real witches out there. Spike's sister is Wiccan; she likes to practice this stuff. She can read auras, it's pretty interesting. I'm sure you guys would have a lot to talk about."

Dawn smiled and put the bottle back into the box. "So, is Spike gonna stop by here anytime soon? I hardly ever get to see him," she said with a pout.

Buffy sighed. "He'll stay away if you don't stop flirting with him. I think it freaks him out, not to mention me."

"I don't mean anything by it. You're so lucky to be engaged to a hottie like him. Can I see the ring again?"

Buffy nodded and held her hand out.

Dawn was still in awe by the size of the diamond. "It's really pretty. I'm hoping to get a ring like that when I get married. I just have to find a boyfriend first. The guys in high school are so immature. I think I need to look for someone older."

Buffy raised her eyes. "I hope you don't mean mine."

Dawn shook her head. "No, not that old. I mean a college guy. My friend Janice is dating a guy that goes to UC Sunnydale and she always gets to go to all the cool parties. I'm so jealous of her sometimes."

Buffy only tuned into the first part. "What do you mean not that old? He's not even thirty yet."

"Well, that's fine for you. Spike is definitely sexy, but just too old for me. I just like to look at him."

Buffy agreed. "You're not the only one, but I think you need to give it a rest. You're only sixteen, Dawn. You shouldn't be flirting with a man Spike's age. That leads to badness and it makes him very uncomfortable. I'm sure he was flattered at first, but that ship has sailed."

Dawn looked ashamed. "I didn't mean to make him uncomfortable. I was just having some fun."

"That may be so, but just think of other ways to have fun from now on, okay?"

Dawn nodded and was about to respond, but a certain man walked into the store before she got a chance to.

Spike's eyes widened when he saw Dawn there. "I'll just come by later," he said, then made his way back out of the store.

Buffy had to laugh as she looked at the pouting girl. "You see my point."

* * *

"How come you don't like Dawn? She's a sweet kid, just a little misguided."

Spike sighed. "It's not that I don't like her, she's just a little scary. No girl that age should act like that. God, I worry about what will happen when our daughters get to be teenagers. I don't think I'll ever be ready for it."

Buffy rubbed his shoulders. "I'm with you there. I was quite a little terror when I was a teenager. I guess you could say I was a bit like Dawn, but she means well. I think she's just lonely. She doesn't have a father and her mother is never around. Why else would she hang out at the store all of the time? Well, besides trying to get a glimpse of you. I know it's not because of all the magic supplies. I had a talk with her today and I think she'll leave you alone now."

Spike was relieved and let out a moan in pure bliss. "You're really good at that."

Buffy smiled and continued giving him a massage. "I had a good teacher," she whispered in his ear.

He instantly shot off of the couch and picked her up, making his way up the stairs as Buffy laughed at his antics.

Tara walked out of the kitchen just in time to see them leave. "Another night with the earplugs," she said to herself, then looked down at the piece of paper in her hand that held Willow's phone number. It was given to her when they both took the kids to the park the other day. Tara smiled at the thought of making a new friend, but hoped that it could soon be something more.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

Buffy found herself back at the Bronze a few nights later. She would sometimes go there after work to blow off some steam before she went home. She headed for the bar and stopped suddenly at the man that was once again sitting there. Buffy figured that she should just walk away before being spotted, but couldn't seem to move. He looked so depressed and there was something that she was curious to talk to him about. She then took in a breath and sat in the available stool next to him.

"So, how many have you had this time?" she said, pointing to the glass of beer that was in front of him.

Ben shrugged and didn't care to look at her. "I haven't touched it yet. I think I've just been staring at it for the last hour."

Buffy was relieved that she didn't catch him when he was drunk again. "I don't know why I'm bothering to ask you about this, but I need to know more about your relationship with my sister. I still can't believe that she would have actually cheated on her husband. I know I missed eight years of her life, but that just doesn't sound like Lizzie."

Ben took a deep breath and finally gazed up at her. "I was in love with Elizabeth, but she never loved me. I would have given her everything, the whole world if she asked for it. We never really slept together. Oh, I wanted to, but she never would have allowed that. It was all about William for her," he finished with sadness in his voice.

"So, you never had an affair? How could you make Spike believe that his wife cheated on him? Losing her was hard enough for him to deal with. He didn't need that, too."

Ben let out a sigh. "I was telling the truth about being involved with her before I left. We shared a lot in that time, but we just didn't sleep together. She came to me once all upset about an argument that she had with him, and I was there to comfort her. We started to kiss, but she pulled away before anything more could happen. No matter what I offered her, she would have never left him."

Buffy was feeling more relieved by this conversation. She had no doubts that Emma was really Spike's daughter, but it felt good to be assured of that. She was pulled out of her thoughts by the look that Ben was now giving her.

He suddenly reached out and caressed her cheek. "You look so much like her."

Buffy was confused and instantly backed away. "Yeah, but I'm nothing like her. It's best to keep that in mind. In fact, I should be going now."

Ben grabbed her arm to stop her from getting up. "I could give you a ride home. It's the least I could do for causing so much trouble."

Buffy gazed around the club and spotted a familiar brunette talking to a guy that looked older than her. She just shook her head and glanced back at Ben. "Thanks, but I have to take care of something. It was nice talking with you," she said, moving off of the stool and quickly away from him before he could stop her again. Buffy headed over to where the girl was and tapped her on the shoulder. "Now, why do I think that you're not supposed to be here?"

Dawn was startled when she turned around. "Great, guess I'm busted."

Buffy nodded. "Say goodnight to your friend, we're going."

Dawn sighed and left the hot guy that she was getting to know.

Buffy followed after her and didn't speak until they were outside. "What are you doing here at this time? You better not have been drinking."

Dawn rolled her eyes. "Hardly, alcohol is for losers. I just wanted to get out of the house and have some fun."

Buffy stopped Dawn to look at her. "You snuck out of your house? Your mother is probably worried about you."

Dawn gave a humorless laugh. "Yeah, for that to happen she would have to actually notice that I was gone. I do this all the time, she never pays attention. She's too busy getting wasted or watching her stupid shows. She pays more attention to that TV than she does to me."

"I'm sure it can't be all that bad. Come on, I'll walk you home. I think I want to have a little talk with her."

Dawn didn't care to tell Buffy that it was pointless to get through to her mother once they started walking again, but it was nice to have someone that worried about her for a change.

They reached her house a few minutes later.

Buffy knocked on the door and waited for what felt like forever, until a blonde woman finally answered it.

She gave Buffy a suspicious look, then turned her gaze on Dawn. "What the hell are you doing out there? You were supposed to be in your room."

Dawn shrugged and stepped into the house.

Buffy forced a smile on her face. "I guess your daughter decided to go for a late night stroll. I found her and offered to walk her home, so she wouldn't have to alone."

She looked her up and down. "And who are you?"

"I'm Buffy Summers; I work at the Magic Box. Dawn likes to come in every now and then. What's your name?" she asked to try and make conversation, not liking the way she was staring at her.

The woman rolled her eyes. "I'm Glory, not that it's any of your business. Good to know that you found her before she caused any problems, you expecting a reward or something?"

Buffy shook her head. "No, I just wanted to make sure that she got home safely."

Glory turned away from Buffy to glare at Dawn. "What did I tell you about going to that hocus pocus shop? That place is nothing but a joke and I don't want you going there again. Do you understand me?"

Dawn looked away from her cold stare and nodded.

"Get upstairs, we'll talk about this later. I may have to nail that damn window of yours shut."

She nodded again and ran upstairs, without bothering to say anything.

Buffy was concerned when she noticed how scared Dawn seemed to be. "You don't have to be so hard on her. She didn't really do anything wrong."

Glory glared at Buffy now. "I don't appreciate having some freak that works in a magic store telling me how to raise my own kid. You brought her home and now you can go. I don't want your influence around my daughter. Have a nice night," she said with a false smile, then slammed the door in her face.

Buffy was stunned as she stared at the closed door, fearing for Dawn's safety.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

"That woman was horrible, Spike. It killed me to leave Dawn there. She doesn't deserve to be treated like that."

He ran his hands down her arms to calm her. "There was nothing you could have done, love."

Buffy wouldn't accept that. "There has to be something. And can you believe that nasty woman had the nerve to call me a freak? She should try looking in the mirror once in a while."

Spike smiled. "My kitten has claws."

"You're damn right I do, and I know exactly who I would use them on." She took a deep breath and decided to change the subject. "Well, something good did come out of this. I talked to Ben at the Bronze."

Spike raised his eyebrows. "How is that good?"

Buffy smiled now. "I found out what really happened between him and Elizabeth. They never slept together, Spike. Ben was in love with her, but that's all it was. Lizzie never returned his feelings because you were the only one she wanted."

Spike let out a long sigh of relief. "That's really good to hear. I knew that wanker was full of it."

Buffy nodded. "Yeah, I kinda feel bad for him. Unrequited love is never fun, but I have a feeling he was a bit obsessed with her."

"What do you mean?" he wondered.

"It was just this vibe that I got off of him. He's been a total mess ever since he found out about Lizzie's death. It seems like there was more than just him being in love with her. He was completely obsessed. I wouldn't be surprised if he had a shrine of my sister in his room." She cringed at just the thought of it.

Spike didn't like the sound of that, but Buffy wasn't finished.

"Oh, and then there was the way he looked at me. He was all about how much I look just like her. It totally creeped me out, like he was about to kiss me or something. Good thing for seeing Dawn when I did, it gave me an excuse to get away from him. He was ready to give me a ride home."

Spike really didn't like the sound of that. "I think you need to stay away from him, Buffy. It sounds like he might put his obsession on you next."

Buffy laughed and shook her head. "That's crazy; he wouldn't get obsessed with me. I'm not Elizabeth."

"I don't think he cares about that. I just want you to be careful around him."

She nodded and gave Spike a quick kiss on his lips. "You don't have to worry. I don't plan on seeing Ben again."

Spike wrapped his arms around Buffy and held her tighter. He really prayed that was true. It didn't sound like this man was very stable and he didn't want Buffy to get hurt. He would do whatever he could to make sure that never happened.

* * *

Buffy looked up to see Dawn enter the store.

"Hey, I didn't think I would be seeing you in here again."

Dawn shrugged. "I like it here. I don't believe all that crap my mom tells me about magic. She doesn't know anything about it. Besides, she's not likely to find out I keep coming here."

Buffy decided not to comment about that. "So, are you okay? Your mom seemed pretty angry when I left last night."

Dawn moved closer to Buffy and tucked her hair behind her ear.

Buffy gasped at the sight of the cut on the girl's face. "Where did you get that?" she wondered.

Dawn silently cursed herself for forgetting about that and thought of something quick to say. "I just tripped and fell on the way over here. I can be a major klutz sometimes."

Buffy only nodded, even though a part of her really didn't believe that.

Dawn remained silent after that and just glanced around the store to keep herself occupied.

Buffy glanced up and smiled when Willow walked into the shop. "Hey, what are you doing here?"

Willow looked a little nervous before she spoke. "I was just hoping we could talk. Is this a bad time?" she said, looking at Dawn.

Buffy shook her head. "No, we can talk in the back for a bit. Will you be fine out here, Dawn?"

She smiled. "Yeah, I can handle any customers that come in."

Buffy was worried and ushered Willow to the back of the store. "I won't be long." She addressed her friend when they finally had some privacy. "I really hope no one comes in. So, what's up?"

The red head took a deep breath. "Okay, there's something I've wanted to tell you for weeks now, but I've been too afraid. I don't want to freak you out."

"Will, you could never freak me out. We've been best friends practically forever, there's nothing you can't tell me," Buffy explained.

"I know and that makes me feel a little better about telling you. I've been developing feelings for someone recently."

Buffy smiled at the news. "That's so great, Willow. You haven't dated much since Oz left; it's good that you're starting to move on."

Willow nodded. "I really loved Oz, but I never planned on feeling like this again. It's so different from anything that I've felt before. I just hope you would be able to accept it."

Buffy placed a hand over her heart. "It's not Spike, is it?"

Willow could tell that she was teasing and slapped her playfully on the arm. "Of course it's not Spike, but you're not that far off." She took another deep breath and just decided to come out with it. "I've been having feelings for Tara."

Buffy's eyes widened at that revelation. "Wow, I didn't see that coming. Do you think she feels the same for you?"

Willow shrugged. "I think she does, we haven't really talked about it. She's just so sweet and caring. I never would have actually thought that I could be with another woman, but Tara makes it so easy. We can talk about anything and she's so understanding. I told her all about my break up with Oz and she was such a great listener. I really like her, Buffy. You're not freaked, are you?"

Buffy would have laughed if her friend didn't look so serious. "I am nowhere near freaked, Will. You know I'm not a person that would judge anyone. I love you and if she makes you happy, then I'm all for it. Tara's amazing; I don't think you could possibly find anyone better."

Willow was relieved and gave Buffy a hug. "You don't know how much it means to me that you're okay with this. I would have hated to lose you as a friend."

Buffy shook her head and pulled out of the embrace. "You never have to worry about that. And don't worry about Spike, either. I'm sure he'll be fine with it."

Willow agreed and jumped a little when she heard a crash that came from the front of the shop.

"Oops, sorry about that!" Dawn yelled.

Buffy groaned and rubbed her eyes. "I better get out there before anything else gets broken. We'll talk later."

Willow nodded and watched as Buffy walked away, glad that everything seemed to work out.


	27. Chapter 27

Happy Thanksgiving to those that celebrate it. I'm in Georgia right now and wasn't planning on updating, but I got bored and decided that it couldn't hurt. Hope you guys like the chapter!

**Chapter 27**

"You're a lesbian?"

Buffy patted Tara on the arm to give her some comfort when she finally decided to tell Spike the truth.

"Yes, I am. I hope you can be okay with this, it's not likely to change."

Spike ran his fingers through his hair. "When exactly did you realize it?"

Tara shrugged. "I think since I was fifteen. I just never found myself attracted to any of the boys in school. I was so afraid to tell anyone, afraid of how they would treat me afterwards. I didn't want people to look at me like I have a problem. Kind of how you're looking at me right now," she finished, really worried about her brother's reaction.

Spike shook his head. "No, of course I don't think you have a problem. I just wasn't expecting this, but it actually does explain a lot. I can't remember you ever talking about a bloke that you liked."

"I had a girlfriend when I was in London, but things didn't work out with us. That's one of the reasons why I decided to move back here. Are you really okay with this, Spike?"

He was shocked and placed his hand over his heart. "Bloody hell, she called me Spike. This must be serious."

Tara grinned and was relieved to see that he was messing with her. "Don't get used to it. I just really want you to be okay with this, your opinion means a lot to me."

Spike stepped closer and wrapped his arms around her. "I love you, Tara. You're my baby sister and you never have to worry about telling me anything. Nothing you do could ever be wrong."

Tara felt tears in her eyes and returned the embrace, pulling away after a moment. "Thanks, you don't know how relieved I am to hear that."

Buffy smiled at the siblings and finally decided to speak up. "I talked with Willow today, Tara. She's expecting a call from you."

Tara blushed at the mention of the red head and nodded, making her way to the phone in the kitchen to do just that.

Spike looked at Buffy. "Tara and Willow, huh? I don't think there are two people more made for each other. Well, except for us."

She smiled again and just knew that Spike would be okay with everything. "You're pretty amazing, you know that?"

He smiled as well. "Funny, I was just thinking the same thing about you."

* * *

Willow and Tara went out on their first official date the next night.

Buffy and Spike stayed home to spend time with their children. The twins were already starting to walk, which proved to be quite the handful. They put the babies down when it was their bedtime and decided to relax by the fireplace in the living room, but their relaxation was short-lived when a knock sounded at the door.

Spike sighed and got up to answer it. He was stunned at the sight of the visitor standing out there. "Buffy, you better come here!"

Buffy instantly made her way over to the front door, gasping when she got a good look at the girl. "God, Dawn. What happened to you?" she said, pulling the shaking girl into the house and closing the door.

Dawn had tears streaming down her face, which was marred with cuts and bruises. "I'm sorry to just show up like this, but I didn't know where else to go. I got your address from the Magic Box, I figured you wouldn't mind."

Buffy shook her head. "Don't worry about it, let's go sit down and you can tell us what happened."

They headed into the living room and sat down on the couch.

Spike went to get Dawn a glass of water, while Buffy rubbed her back soothingly.

"What happened, sweetie? Did your mother do this to you?"

Dawn wiped at her eyes and gazed at Buffy's concerned face. "I…I made her mad again. I talked back to her and she really doesn't like that. She was drinking again, I should have known better than to piss her off when she gets like that. I think she might have been high, too. She's a drug addict, I never told anyone about that because I was afraid of what would happen to me. She was yelling and beating on me. I couldn't do anything to stop her, but then she just fainted in the middle of the living room. I panicked and ran out of the house, that's when I decided to come here."

Spike came back with the glass of water at the end of Dawn's speech and handed it to her.

She took it from him with trembling hands, taking a slow sip of the liquid and placing it down on the coffee table.

Buffy couldn't believe everything that she just heard. "I have to call the police, Dawn. I know you probably don't want to get them involved, but your mother is too dangerous. She could have killed you. Someone has to go to your house and check up on her, you're going to stay with us for right now. Just until this is all settled, okay?"

Dawn nodded after a moment, not knowing what else to say. She prayed that her mother would finally be able to get help for her problems, but had a feeling that everything was far from being over.

* * *

Buffy jumped up from her seat and headed for the door when there was a knock. She called the police over an hour ago and they were sending a few cops over to Dawn's house.

"Are you Ms. Summers?" the officer asked.

Buffy nodded. "Yes, I'm the one that called. Is everything okay?"

Spike and Dawn went over to join them to see what was going on.

The officer took a deep breath. "We went to the house of Mrs. Kramer. She was in critical condition when we arrived there and was instantly taken to the hospital. I'm afraid to report that she didn't make it. The drugs and alcohol in her system was too much for her to handle and she passed away in the ambulance. I believe they did all that they could for her. I'm sorry for your loss."

Dawn gasped and placed her hand over her mouth.

Buffy wrapped her arms around the sobbing girl. "Thank you, officer," she told him.

He nodded and continued. "Does she have any other family members to stay with?"

Buffy shook her head and ran her fingers through Dawn's hair. "No, I don't think so. She'll be staying with us right now, we'll figure something out."

"You told us that this woman was abusive. We may need her to come down to the station and answer a few questions."

Spike looked at the distressed girls, then back at him. "Could that wait until tomorrow morning? It's been a rough night and I think we all just need a good night's sleep right now."

The officer nodded again. "That would be fine. Again, I'm sorry for your loss," he finished, then walked away.

Spike closed the door and watched as Buffy helped Dawn up the stairs, his heart breaking for the young girl.


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

"She still won't come out of that room. She hardly eats or sleeps; I'm really worried about her."

Spike rubbed her arm. "She's been through a lot, more than anyone her age should have to go through."

Buffy agreed. "I just wish there was something I could do to help her. Dawn has hardly even said anything to us the few days she's been here. She just stays in Tara's room, which was nice of her to let Dawn use. I'm glad she's been getting along so well with Willow and offered to stay with her for a little while. There's no way I can even think about going to work right now, anyway."

"You're exhausted, sweetheart. You should get some rest yourself."

Buffy shook her head. "I can't sleep when I have four kids to worry about."

Spike decided that there was no point arguing with her about it. "I just don't understand this. I don't know how someone could hurt their own child like that."

She looked away from him. "I don't either, but I know how it feels to have someone you love hurt you. Someone that you thought loved you."

Spike was concerned now. "Are you talking about that Riley bloke? You never really told me much about why you broke up. Did he hit you?"

Buffy took a deep breath. "Sometimes, he would drink a lot and didn't like when I argued with him. The whole thing about him being a controlling asshole was true. He didn't let me do anything without him. He was all about how a woman's place is in the home, and he wouldn't even let me get a job. I disobeyed him once and he took it out on me in a physical way. That was the first time he ever actually laid a finger on me. I…I was hospitalized for about a week and told people that I fell down the stairs. I was too afraid to tell the truth, but it was Lindsey that finally convinced me to leave him. He was the only one that I could talk to about it. I was surprised when Riley just let me go. I guess he didn't care to deal with me anymore."

Spike didn't think it was possible to feel such hatred for anyone, but he wanted to rip that bastard's head off for hurting her. "God, why didn't you ever tell me about that?"

Buffy shrugged. "I just wanted to forget about everything that happened. I didn't want you to think I was weak for putting up with that."

"I could never think you're weak, Buffy. I think you're very strong for dealing with that, but you could have told me."

She nodded. "Well, I'm telling you now. This whole thing with Dawn just brought it all back. It brought back all of the pain that I felt and how scared I was. I never want to feel like that again."

Spike wrapped his arms around her. "You never will, I'll see to that. Where the hell is the wanker now? I would love to give him a piece of my mind."

Buffy laughed against his chest. "Last I heard he was in jail. It seems like he got a bit too careless, but I didn't care to find out much. I put him behind me the day I decided to walk away. Lindsey got me the job at Wolfram and Hart after that. He was always there for me."

"It seems like he had a thing for you."

She pulled away to look at Spike. "Yeah, he never tried to hide the fact that he had feelings for me. It was just too soon for me to get involved with anyone after Riley, so we just agreed to stay friends. He actually talked me into moving back here, even though I could tell he didn't want me to leave. He saw how miserable I was and could tell that I didn't exactly like my job. Well, it wasn't the job as much as the people. Some of them were real jerks, but I eventually decided that he was right. I was going to come back when I heard about Lizzie's death, but other stuff kept getting in the way. I'm glad I finally decided to come back. I never knew how much I missed my parents, and I couldn't imagine never getting the chance to know you."

Spike held her tighter. "I'm really glad you came back, too. I was practically dead after Elizabeth died. You brought me back to life."

She smiled and slapped him on the leg. "That was really corny."

He shrugged. "Yeah, but it got you to smile."

Buffy lifted her head to give him a kiss on the lips. "You always make me smile, but I think I have an idea about what to do with Dawn. It might not work out, but I think it could be the best thing for her. I'll be right back." She gave him one more kiss, then headed up the stairs.

Spike wondered about what she had planned, but was positive that it would work out.

* * *

"Honey, is everything okay?"

Buffy almost burst into tears at the sight of her father, but she held herself together. "I need to talk to both of you."

Hank nodded and moved out of the way to let her into the house, closing the door once she was inside.

Buffy followed him into the living room and couldn't keep the tears from falling when she laid eyes on her mother. Without giving much thought to anything else, she embraced the older woman.

Joyce was concerned and wrapped her arms around Buffy. "Sweetie, what is it?"

Buffy shook her head, but didn't let go. "I'm sorry for everything. You're a great mother and I never appreciated it. I'm so thankful that I have both of you."

Hank patted his daughter on the back. "We were thankful to have you and your sister. What is this about, princess?"

Buffy pulled away and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I need a huge favor. I know it's a lot to ask for, but just let me explain before you say anything."

They both nodded and waited for her to continue.

"There's this girl that has been staying at my house the last couple of days. Her name is Dawn and she's sixteen-years-old. Her mother was an alcoholic and drug addict that died a few days ago. She was horrible and abusive to Dawn."

Joyce gasped at that, but didn't say anything until Buffy finished.

"Dawn's scared and confused right now. She came to me because she had no one else to turn to. I wish I could be there for her all the time, but I know that I can't. I still have my job to get back to and Spike and I already have three babies to take care of. Dawn's a great kid, but I can't give her what she deserves. She's never had any loving parents and that's what she needs right now. You both were so great to us. You were strict because you cared and wanted what was best for us. I never really took the time to realize that before. I know that Dawn could never replace the daughter that you lost, but I don't have any other options. If she doesn't have somewhere to live, I'm afraid they'll put her into foster care and she'll end up with someone that will treat her just as bad as her mother did. I don't want her to go through that again. So, I guess I'm asking if you both can find it in your hearts to accept her. I know you don't know her and you have no reason to do this, but I wouldn't ask if it didn't mean a lot to me. I just don't think she can find better parents than you."

Joyce didn't realize that she had tears in her eyes during Buffy's speech. She glanced at her husband to see the same look on his face.

He gazed at Joyce and nodded after a moment. "We would love to give her a real home. If it's okay with Dawn, then it's okay with us."

Buffy was crying happy tears now as she hugged both of her parents. "I know you guys won't regret this. I already talked with Dawn about it earlier and she's willing to give it a chance. I can bring her by later tonight," she said, pulling out of the hug.

Joyce smiled. "That would be fine, honey. We can't wait to meet her."

Buffy smiled in return and it remained on her face all the way home.


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

Buffy entered the nursery to find Dawn holding baby Elizabeth.

The girl looked up and gave a small smile. "She started to cry."

Buffy nodded and took the baby from the teenager, rocking her back to sleep.

"You know, if you ever need a babysitter or anything, I could always lend a helping hand. It's the least I can do for everything you've done for me."

Buffy smiled and placed Elizabeth back into her crib. "I might just take you up on that. Are you ready to meet my parents?"

Dawn looked nervous. "What if they don't like me?"

Buffy felt her heart go out to the girl. "They're going to love you. We're not that far away if you ever want to come back for a visit. You always have a home here, too."

Dawn felt tears in her eyes, but held them back. "Okay, I think I'm ready now."

* * *

Buffy smiled when her father opened the door and embraced her. She returned the hug and grabbed Dawn's hand, pulling her into the house.

Dawn felt nervous again when she looked around the house.

Joyce got off of the couch to greet them.

Buffy smiled when she saw her. "Mom, Dad, this is Dawn."

She gave them a little wave and didn't really know what to say.

Joyce instantly knew that they made the right decision when she got a good look at the girl. No words were spoken as she wrapped her arms around Dawn. "Welcome home," she whispered, which caused Dawn to feel more tears cloud her vision.

Hank hugged her as well once Joyce let go.

Buffy smiled as her parents got acquainted with Dawn, relieved that she was finally safe.

* * *

"You are an incredible woman, you know that?"

Buffy blushed at his comment. "I'm not really all that special."

Spike wouldn't accept that and turned her to look at him. "Yes, you are. You're amazing and it's important that you always believe it."

"You're not just saying this because of all the hours of hot sex that we just had, are you?"

Spike laughed and wrapped his arms around her naked body. "That could be one reason, but I also really mean it. Everything about you is bloody amazing. You have one of the biggest hearts that I've ever seen."

Buffy looked away from his gaze for a moment. "I'm not sure if that's such a good thing. The bigger the heart, the easier it is to get broken."

Spike pressed his lips to her forehead. "I will never let anything happen to your heart, baby. It's very precious, just like the rest of you."

Buffy found herself blushing again and had an urge to change the subject. "So, think you can handle another hour?"

He laughed heartily. "Oh, love, I can handle anything that you're willing to give."

She squealed as Spike pounced on her.

* * *

"Buffy, wake up! It's not good to fall asleep in front of the register. Anyone can use that to their advantage and steal the money."

She raised her head at Anya's voice. "Sorry, I just closed my eyes for a second."

"You've been tired all day. Are you pregnant again?"

Buffy shook her head. "I'm not pregnant. Spike was just an animal last night." She suddenly looked embarrassed. "I didn't mean to say that out loud."

Anya waved her hand in the air. "You forget who you're talking to. I definitely don't mind. So, did you get lots of orgasms? I bet he's very pleasing in the bedroom. Not that I think about Spike in the bedroom. I have Xander and he satisfies me just fine, not to mention all my very loyal callers."

Buffy raised her eyebrows. "I've been wondering about that. Xander doesn't mind that you're a phone sex operator?"

"No, why should he? That's how we met, he knows what I do."

Buffy nodded. "Yeah, but I just figured that he might not be comfortable with it since you guys are dating now."

Anya shook her head. "He hasn't said anything about it. I don't think he really cares. Just as long as I don't actually have sex with any of them, but that's not likely to happen. Some of them are really creepy, even to me."

Buffy smiled. "You and Xander are definitely perfect for each other."

* * *

Spike decided to go through the junk in the attic to kill time until Buffy got home. He rummaged through a lot of boxes and stopped when he came across a familiar looking book. He took it out and recognized it as Elizabeth's journal. She would write in it almost every night, never letting him take a peek. He decided that it couldn't hurt now and opened the book, skipping a few entries in the beginning. Spike finally noticed one that looked interesting and started to read, his eyes bulging at her words. She talked about meeting Ben and how he was a great friend to her, but she became scared when his feelings started to change. He read some more and realized that Buffy was right about the bloke being obsessed with Lizzie. Spike put the journal back and thought about what he saw. The man seemed more than just not stable, he seemed dangerous.

* * *

Buffy felt a chill and pulled her jacket more around her as she continued the walk home. If she realized the night was going to be so cold, she would have called Spike to pick her up. She nearly jumped out of her skin when a car horn blared next to her. Buffy turned around and noticed Ben riding along beside her in his car.

He gave her a smile. "Hey, you want a ride?"

Buffy knew that she shouldn't and shook her head. "That's okay; I'm not that far from home."

Ben wouldn't let it go. "Come on, it's too cold for anyone to be walking tonight. I have the heat on in my car. I know where you live; it's no trouble to take you there."

Buffy thought about it and realized that she really was cold. It would just be a short ride, anyway. There was no harm in that. She nodded after a few seconds and opened the car door, getting in and closing it behind her. She rubbed her hands and gave him a small smile. "Thanks," she told him.

Ben smiled wider and drove to his destination.

* * *

Spike was pacing the living room.

Tara was starting to get dizzy and grabbed his shoulders to stop him. "You need to calm down. I'm sure she's fine."

He was finding it hard to calm down at the moment. "Buffy should have been home by now. She would usually call if she was going to be late."

"Well, maybe she just went to the Bronze for a bit. You told me she does that sometimes after work."

Spike ran his fingers through his hair. "I don't know. I just don't have a very good feeling about this." He sighed in relief when there was a knock on the door, figuring that maybe Buffy forgot her key. He went to answer it and frowned when no one was there, looking down he noticed a piece of paper lying on the ground. Spike picked it up and felt pure fear when he read the short message that was written there.

Tara came over to see what was keeping him. "What is it?" she wondered.

He didn't say anything and just handed her the paper.

Tara took it from him and gasped at the words.

_She's mine now._


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

"Bloody pillock, I just know he has her."

Tara followed after Spike when he headed back into the living room. "Who has her?"

"It's Ben, he had this obsession with Elizabeth and I have a feeling he's moved on to Buffy now."

Tara watched as Spike went up the stairs, wondering what he was doing. "How can you be so sure?" she said once he descended the stairs again.

Spike held up a book for her to see. "This was Lizzie's journal, she wrote about Ben in it. He started out as a friend and then fell in love with her, or so he thinks. I wouldn't have called it love. He said that he went away for months on business, but Elizabeth knew the truth. He was sent away to a mental institution in New York to seek some help. I'm guessing that didn't exactly work out if he's back to his old ways. If that git even thinks about laying one finger on Buffy, I'll kill him."

Tara placed a calming hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure she'll be fine."

Spike shook his head and walked away. "I'm going to look for her."

She stopped him before he could leave the house. "How would you even know where to look? You need to call the police and let them handle it."

"I can't wait for the cops to get here, there's no telling what could be happening to her. I have an idea about where he is; let's just say I have my sources. If I'm not back in about a half an hour, then you can call the police." He went into his office to grab a sheet of paper to write something down, then handed it to Tara. "Send them to this address; I have a feeling that's where he's hiding out."

Tara glanced down at the paper, then back up at him. "Isn't this where that abandoned warehouse is located? No one has been there for years."

Spike nodded. "Exactly, he probably figured that's the last place anyone would look."

"Just be careful, all right?"

Spike stepped forward and gave her a hug. "I'll be fine. I'm going to bring her back and make sure this bastard never hurts anyone again."

Tara nodded and let out a sigh as her brother left the house. She took a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling. "Please let them both be okay."

* * *

Buffy woke up with the worst headache. She opened her eyes and looked around at her surroundings, not recognizing where she was. 

"I see you're finally awake. I thought you would sleep the whole night away."

Buffy sat up and glared at Ben. "Where the hell am I?"

He smiled. "Such language, your sister never would have spoken to me like that."

"Well, that was her first mistake and for the last time, I'm not my sister. I don't know what having me here is going to prove. I'm nothing like her."

The smile quickly wiped off of his face. "You should consider it a compliment to be like her. Elizabeth was perfect in every way. I'm going to bring her back."

Buffy would have laughed if she wasn't so scared. "And just how are you going to do that?"

Ben moved closer to her. "That's where you come in, honey. I'm going to turn you into your sister. You already have the looks down; I'll just teach you how to act just like her. It shouldn't be too hard. We'll finally be together again."

"God, you really are crazy. Did you skip out on your medication or something? I'm never going to be like her." Buffy didn't know why, but she was actually shocked when she felt the sting on her cheek.

"You are going to listen to everything I say, bitch! Elizabeth never would have talked back to me, so you better hold your tongue and show some respect."

Buffy turned her head and spat in his face. "I'll never listen to you. My sister probably realized how insane you were and that's why she never touched you. Why would she want you when she had a great man like William? You're nothing compared to him."

Ben wiped his face and grabbed her, shaking her as he spoke. "You are never to speak that name again! It should have been me. He never deserved her and now, he doesn't deserve you. We're going to be happy together and you'll forget that he ever existed." His gaze softened as he stroked her cheek. "I'll take such good care of you, my sweet Liz. We're going to get far away from here and start a new life together. You don't need him anymore."

Buffy felt the tears start to fall from her eyes when he released his hold on her. "You can't take me away from my family. I have three children and I'm going to marry Spike, nothing you do can ever change that."

"You'll get a new family. We'll get married and have kids of our own. You will be so much happier with me, I'll see to that."

Buffy didn't know what else to do. She figured that arguing with him more would just get him pissed off, so she decided to play along. "You're right; I'm more like my sister than I thought. I know that she would have been happy with you. Things with Spike aren't as great as I pretend they are."

Ben beamed at her words. "I always knew it. You know that we're meant to be together." He got in her face and touched his lips to hers.

Buffy tried not to gag when he pulled away.

"What's your name, sweetheart?"

She took a deep breath and looked him right in the eyes, trying not to flinch at her words. "My name's Elizabeth." The sadistic smile on his face was enough to make her want to cringe.

"You're my sweet Elizabeth. We'll leave first thing in the morning, but I have plans for you tonight." He trailed his hands down her bare legs.

Buffy really wished that she wasn't wearing a skirt.

He then raised his hand and trailed his fingers through her hair. "I've always wondered what it would be like to make love to you. I suppose we have all the time in the world now. I'll make you feel so good, baby."

Her eyes widened and it took a lot of effort to stay where she was. She couldn't find it in her to play along anymore and silently prayed that Spike would find her.


	31. Chapter 31

Well, it's sad to say that this story is coming to an end. There will only be one more chapter after this one. I've done all that I wanted to with this and I think it's about time that I finished it. Hope you guys like the chapter!**  
**

**Chapter 31**

"Just lay back and relax. You'll forget all about Spike when I'm done with you. He was never man enough for you, anyway."

Buffy had a retort on the tip of her tongue, but held it back. She was relieved when he turned away from her and decided to use that to her advantage. She gulped at the sound of him lowering the zipper on his pants and knew that she had to think of something fast. Buffy looked to her side and smiled when she spotted the pipe lying there. It was a good thing that Ben wasn't smart enough to tie her up. She reached over and grabbed it, taking a deep breath and slamming it down on Ben's skull.

He groaned and fell to the ground.

Buffy instantly stood up, but he grabbed her foot before she could get away.

"You'll pay for that, you little bitch!" he spat.

Buffy knew that she didn't hit him hard enough and kicked out with all of her strength. She got him right in the face and didn't hesitate before she took off running to the back of the warehouse.

Ben gave a chilling laugh. "You won't be able to get far. The doors are all bound shut. You'll only be able to open them from the outside. There's nowhere for you to go."

Buffy tried opening the back door and realized that he was right. "There has to be another way out of here." She heard Ben throwing stuff around to try and find her, so she hid behind a bunch of boxes that she spotted. It wouldn't be long until he found her and she would be ready for him. She peeked out from the top of the box when she couldn't hear him anymore. Buffy was about to scream when she felt a hand clap over her mouth, but a soothing voice in her ear stopped her.

"It's okay, love. It's just me."

Buffy felt tears of relief fall from her eyes now at the sound of Spike's voice, figuring that he must have snuck in from the back door. She attacked him in a hug once he removed his hand, but tried to keep her voice down. "I knew you would find me. He's crazy, Spike. He's trying to turn me into Elizabeth and take me away from you."

Spike kissed the crown of her head. "You're safe now, Buffy. I won't let him hurt you."

"Come out, little girl. You can't hide from me forever."

Spike felt her body shake at Ben's voice and held her tighter. "I want you to stay here. I'll deal with him."

Buffy shook her head and pulled away to look at him. "He's too dangerous; I don't want you to get hurt."

Spike pressed a quick kiss to her lips. "I'll be fine. I'm only worried about your safety right now. I have a feeling help will be arriving soon."

"Well, what do we have here?"

Spike cursed himself for being careless when Ben made his presence known. He wrapped his arms tighter around Buffy and stared the man down. "I'm getting her out of here."

Ben glared at him. "She belongs to me. I won't let you take her away."

"I don't think you have much of a choice, Benny."

He saw red at that name. "I hate being called that! I'll kill you!"

Spike shoved Buffy away when Ben came at him.

The crazed man knocked him down and started to choke him. "You will never be good enough for her!"

Spike kicked him off and grabbed his fists. He tried to use the rope that he found to tie his wrists together, but Ben wasn't making it all that easy.

Buffy stood up and knew that she had to so something. She saw that Ben was struggling to get away from Spike and without putting much thought into her actions; she punched him hard in the face.

Spike was stunned for a moment, but then realized it was enough to stop his movements. He tied Ben's wrists together as tight as he could, making sure the bloke couldn't get out of the rope. He stood up and smiled at Ben still trying to get away, but that just wouldn't do. Spike kicked him in the head with all the strength that he possessed, satisfied when Ben finally fell unconscious. He didn't hesitate before wrapping his arms around Buffy. "It's all over now, love."

"I was so scared."

He nodded and never wanted to let her go. "I don't think I've ever been so scared in my life when I found out that you were taken, but I'm so proud of the way you handled yourself."

Buffy laughed through her tears and held her hand up. "That really hurt."

Spike had to laugh in return that she was finally safe and placed a kiss to her knuckles. "We'll get some ice for it."

Buffy's response was cut off when a couple of police officers burst into the warehouse, guns at the ready.

Spike silently thanked Tara and pointed to the unconscious man on the floor. "He's the one you want."

They untied Ben and slapped the handcuffs on him, taking him out of there and into one of the cop cars. The officer in the lead turned to Spike. "We'll need you both to come down to the station for questioning about what happened here."

Spike nodded as he ran his hands down Buffy's back. He then helped her out of the warehouse, never wanting to see that place again.

* * *

Buffy and Spike were resting together on the couch once they returned from the police station later that night.

Spike couldn't stop touching her and he never wanted to let her out of his sight again.

"I don't think I've ever been so tired," she stated after a moment of silence.

He had to agree. "Yeah, I'm with you there, but at least Ben will be locked up now. Maybe they'll send him back to that mental institution, they never should have let him out."

Buffy looked up at him. "Ben was in a mental institution?"

Spike raised his eyebrows. "Are you actually surprised by that?"

She shook her head. "I'm really not, it explains so much."

"Yeah, your sister wrote about him in her journal. She really didn't have that much love for the guy. He was fine when she first met him, but then she started to get scared of him. I just don't understand why she never told me about him."

Buffy shrugged. "Lizzie probably didn't want you to worry. She probably figured that she would never see him again after he got sent away, so there was no point telling you."

Spike could see that she was trying to keep her eyes open. "I think someone should be in bed." He stood and picked her up, carrying her up the stairs.

Buffy let out a sigh and rested her head against his shoulder.

He gently placed her down on the bed once he made it into their room.

"Thanks for saving me," she told him sleepily.

Spike smiled and lay down beside her. "You don't have to thank me for that. I would have never let anything happen to you."

She smiled as well and closed her eyes. "I know."

Spike kissed her forehead and wrapped his arms around her. It wasn't long before he fell into a much needed sleep.


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

"You need to relax, Spike. You're a nervous wreck. Just keep taking deep breaths."

Spike nodded and did as Xander said. "I think I have a right to be nervous. It is my wedding day. God, I never thought this would be happening to me again."

"Are you having regrets?"

He shook his head. "No, I couldn't be happier. I want nothing more than to marry Buffy. It's normal for the groom to be nervous. I'm sure you would feel the same way when it's your wedding."

Xander had a look of fear on his face. "Yeah, let's not talk about me getting married. I don't plan on popping the question just yet. This is your big day, let's just focus on that."

Spike sighed when Xander finished fixing his tie. "You know Anya is bound to bring up the subject of marriage. You can't get away from it forever. I know you love her, Xander. You have to get over this fear of commitment that you have. You'll never be like your father."

Xander should have known that his friend would see through his actions. "I'm just not ready yet, but I know Anya's the one for me. That's all I care about."

Spike smiled and knew that Xander would make a great husband. It was only a matter of time.

* * *

"Are you nervous, honey?"

Buffy nodded at her mother's question. "So nervous that I have bats flying around in my stomach right now."

Joyce smiled. "You're going to do fine."

"I just never would have believed this was possible. I didn't even think marriage was for me. It's good that I got over that phase. I couldn't imagine spending my life with anyone else."

Joyce stepped back to take a good look at her daughter, feeling tears in her eyes. "You look so beautiful. It means a lot that you decided to wear my wedding dress."

Dawn walked into the room with the bouquet of flowers that Buffy would be carrying. "Wow, you look hot. Spike is going to flip when he sees you."

Buffy took the flowers from her. It was about a month ago that her parents decided to adopt the teenager, making them sisters.

"Sweetie, you could use a better word than that. Your sister looks lovely."

Dawn rolled her eyes. "That sounds like something old people would say. No offense, Mom."

Joyce glared at her youngest. "Now, why would I take offense to that? Come on, let's give her some space."

Buffy watched her family leave the room and glanced back at herself in the mirror. "Okay, you can do this. Don't be a wuss now."

The door to the room opened again and her father entered.

Buffy could tell that he had tears in his eyes. "Don't cry, Daddy. I got enough of that from Mom."

Hank moved closer to her. "You're just so grown up. Are you ready, princess?"

Buffy nodded and took her father's arm. "Let's get me married."

* * *

Spike stood at the altar with Xander and anxiously waited for the ceremony to start. The music began a moment later and he took a deep breath when Dawn walked down the aisle, followed by Willow, Tara, and Anya. Spike felt the breath knock out of him when he saw Buffy. She was a vision in white.

Buffy smiled when she laid eyes on Spike. He looked amazing in his tux.

Hank released his daughter when they got to the altar, placing a kiss on her cheek.

Spike then took Buffy's hand in his.

They both turned to the minister and were ready for the next chapter of their journey together.

* * *

It was Christmas Eve and the reception area was full of decorations. It was the perfect time to get married.

Buffy and Spike could barely take their eyes off of each other all night. They couldn't wait for the honeymoon.

Joyce was bouncing the twins on her knees, and Dawn was dancing with Emma.

Hank was talking with Jacob and making plans to get together more.

It was soon time for the newlyweds to have their first dance as man and wife, so everyone moved off of the floor to give them room.

Spike wrapped his arms around Buffy.

She rested hers around his neck as they both moved to the music.

_Hello, good morning, how you do?  
What makes your rising sun so new?  
I could use a fresh beginning, too  
All of my regrets are nothing new  
So this is the way that I say I need you  
This is the way; this is the way that I'm _

_Learning to breathe  
I'm learning to crawl  
I'm finding that you and you alone can break my fall  
I'm living again, awake and alive  
I'm dying to breathe in these abundant skies_

_Hello, good morning, how you been?  
Yesterday left my head kicked in  
I never, never thought that  
I would fall like that  
Never knew that I could hurt this bad_

_I'm learning to breathe  
I'm learning to crawl  
I'm finding that you and you alone can break my fall  
I'm living again, awake and alive  
I'm dying to breathe in these abundant skies_

_So this is the way that I say I need you  
This is the way that I say I love you  
This is the way that I say I'm yours  
This is the way; this is the way that I'm _

_Learning to breathe  
I'm learning to crawl  
I'm finding that you and you alone can break my fall  
I'm living again, awake and alive  
I'm dying to breathe in these abundant skies_

Everything around them faded away when they were in each other's arms. They didn't even notice most of the guests join them on the dance floor afterwards.

Spike smiled at Buffy and leaned in to press a kiss to her lips. "You've made me the happiest man in the world, Mrs. Pratt."

Buffy smiled as well. "The feeling's mutual, Mr. Pratt." She rested her head against his chest and continued their dance. There was no doubt in Buffy's mind that Elizabeth was smiling down on them from Heaven. She never felt such bliss and knew that her sister would always be with them in spirit. Buffy then wondered if this would be a good time to tell Spike that she was pregnant again. Nah, that can wait.

**The End**

Yes, that is an evil place to leave it, but I think the time has come for me to end this story. It sounds like there could be a sequel, but I have no plans for one at the moment. You never know when I might be inspired, though. The song was "Learning to Breathe" by Switchfoot. I obviously got the title from the song and I thought it would be good for their first dance. I really had a lot of fun with this one. I never imagined that it would have turned into this when I started. Well, this was supposed to be my last story, but I've been working on a new one that I plan on posting soon. I guess I'm not quite ready to retire yet. Thanks for reading!


End file.
